Health Department Warning Of Ohio County COVID Rates Reaching January Numbers
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Local rates of new COVID-19 transmission are in danger of reaching heights not seen since January, the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department announced Thursday.
The WOCHD warned current transmission rates are high and are forecasted to increase in the coming weeks.
“We anticipate rates of new COVID-19 infections in the range of those seen in January of 2021 resulting in some serious illness and death,” the announcement said. “Rates of COVID-19-related hospital admissions, admissions to intensive care units, and ventilator use are likewise increasing.”
The department said cases reported in August have included all ages, from young children to older adults, and that partially and fully vaccinated people represent one in five new Ohio County cases for the month. The delta variant is now the dominant circulating strain in West Virginia, causing more than 90% of recent infections.
Reports also indicate that severely ill patients in local hospitals are much more likely to be unvaccinated than all reported cases, consistent with recently published reports regarding the protective qualities of COVID vaccination.
The WOCHD is advising county residents of these events so that they can make appropriate decisions to protect themselves and others against COVID-19 infection.
Return to theintelligencer.net later for more on this developing story.