Coronavirus cases in Ohio are beginning to rise, along with hospitalizations, but the Wood County health commissioner is not sounding the alarm.
At Thursday’s board of health meeting, board member Cathy Nelson asked about the new COVID BA.5 variant and how it was affecting Wood County.
“New variant, extremely contagious. Any new info through the Ohio Department of Health?” she asked.
Nationwide, the latest COVID-19 surge is driven by the highly transmissible BA.5 variant, which now accounts for 65% of cases with its cousin BA.4 contributing another 16%. The variants have shown a remarkable ability to get around the protection offered by vaccination, according to an Associated Press story.
“ODH is reporting that they’re starting to see hospitalizations increase right now across the state,” said Ben Robison, health commissioner. “We have not yet seen that here in Wood County.”
The county fell from medium risk to low risk last week, he said. However, it went back to medium risk on Thursday.
“Our message to our community is if you are at adverse risk for severe outcomes from COVID — so you could be hospitalized based on your age or underlying condition — even though the county is green, you need to maintain a level of vigilance,” Robison said.
Keep vaccines up to date and consult with a doctor, he said.
“ODH is also assuring that they’re going to have access to vaccines. There are plenty of vaccines available,” Robison said.
He said health officials are hearing about a targeted vaccine that may do better at preventing illness.
The current vaccines still do a really good job of preventing severe illness, Robison said.
Board member Bob Midden added that COVID reinfection is common.
“Even if you’ve had Omicron I or II, you can still easily get reinfected,” he said.
Vaccinated persons get a relatively mild illness, Midden said.
COVID cases do not present the same risk as previously, Robison said.
For example, he recently told someone that he and his family had attended a concert and baseball game.
He was asked if he feared contracting the coronavirus.
“It depends on what you mean. Do I think I could get COVID? Yes, I think I could get COVID,” Robison said. “Am I worried about getting COVID? No, I have taken steps to protect myself.
“This is not where we were before. We’re in a different context. And that’s where I hope to be staying,” he said. “What will this fall look like? I don’t know.”
Robison was also asked about monkeypox infections.
Amy Jones, assistant director of the health department, said there are eight cases in Ohio as of Thursday.
“It’s still impacting segments of population in a pretty targeted way,” Robison said
Ohio is not at the top of list for vaccines because cases are low, he said.
