COVID19 Public Health Information

Submitted by Clermont County Public Health

Clermont County, along with the rest of Ohio, has seen a significant increase in the number of new cases of COVID-19 over the last few weeks. Although the county remains in the “orange” under the public health advisory system as of Oct. 22, it is now classified as a high incidence county. A high incidence county is defined by the Ohio Department of Health as a county that has had more than 100 cases per 100,000 residents within the past two weeks.

For comparison, on Oct. 1, Clermont County had a rate of 62 new cases per 100,000 people. As of Oct. 22, the rate was 182 new cases per 100,000.

In addition to an increase in cases, we are also seeing a large increase in the number of close contacts for each confirmed case – or infected person. That means people are getting together with more people than they were in the spring or early summer, when the virus was spreading at a slower rate. We are also seeing fewer people wearing masks.

Without a vaccine, our best chance of slowing the spread of this virus and preventing our hospitals from being overwhelmed is to continue to practice the prevention measures that have been in place.

With the holidays just around the corner, it is important to consider our everyday interactions with other people and how many people are in our social circles, or how many people we interact with.

While your social bubble may consist only of your immediate family members and a few co-workers, you must also consider how big the bubble is of your family members. If each member of your family each has their own bubble outside of your family – school, work, sports teams, friends, etc. the potential risk of getting and spreading COVID-19 also increases.

The more interactions you have with other people, and the longer those interactions are, the higher your potential risk is of getting COVID-19.

As we head into flu season, it is more important than ever to do our best to minimize the spread of this virus. It is imperative that we all take responsibility to do our part to minimize the spread of this virus.

What can you do?

• Cover your mouth and nose when in public. The more people that wear masks and wear them properly, the better the chances we have of limiting the spread.
• Avoid crowded places.
• Wash your hands often.
• Stay home if you have COVID symptoms and follow up with your healthcare provider.
• Keep your bubble, or social circle small. The fewer people you and your family come in close contact with, the lower your risk of catching and spreading the virus.

For more information on COVID-19 in Clermont County, visit https://ccphohio.org/covid-19/