Garrett Guillozet | Litter Media

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85 of Ohio’s 88 counties have moved to the highest level red in the CDC’s data tracker for high levels of community transmission of COVID-19, as of Monday August 16th.

The updated map from the U.S. Center for Disease Control continues to show a steady increase in the number of counties now in the high transmission category.

In Ohio, masks are recommended if a county is in either orange or red. The other three Ohio counties not in red are now orange.

In a press conference Tuesday, Governor Mike DeWine reiterated state recommendations (not mandates) for everyone age 12 and older to get the COVID-19 vaccination and for individuals to wear masks when indoors with large groups of people, whether vaccinated or not. The mask recommendation was especially emphasized for the non-vaccinated.

Governor DeWine stated the following- “On July 7, our cases were at 17 cases statewide per 100,000 people for a two-week period. Today, that number is 236 per 100,000 people. Every county in the state is considered a high incidence county.” He added- “Today there are 1,571 of our fellow citizens hospitalized in Ohio with COVID-19. This is the highest since last February. Additionally, there are 464 people in ICUs in Ohio w/ COVID. This is the highest number, again, since February.”

“The spread of the delta variant has dramatically accelerated since we last held a public briefing 10 days ago. We are at the highest number of new cases since February,” said DeWine. “We are reiterating the recommendation from 10 days ago, get vaccinated or wear a mask while in the classroom. These steps will give them the best the chance of staying in school.”

Children under age 12 years-old are still not approved by the FDA to receive the vaccine. Studies are being conducted to see if students under age 12 can take the shot without any adverse health issues.

“We are clearly well past the time when the state can mandate to parents and school districts what actions to take. These decisions today rest with the parents and school officials.”

One week prior, Ross County Health Commissioner Garrett Guillozet stated the county had 121 positive cases of COVID-19 reported to RCHD. He added that this report “will not match other COVID-19 dashboards because other dashboards (including Ohio Department of Health) are based on onset of symptoms date, not reported positive test date.”

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Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has been visiting COVID-19 vaccination clinics statewide in recent weeks and added Chillicothe to his list, Wednesday afternoon.

His tour took him to the Ross County Health District Vaccination Clinic being hosted by Ohio University-Chillicothe’s Shoemaker Center.

DeWine took the opportunity to speak with workers at the clinic along with individuals who were there to get a vaccination.

One of those getting a shot was kindergarten teacher Kylie Frankel, who graded the experience as an “A”. She also told the governor and his wife Fran that she would be getting married in a couple of months, to which the governor told her by June she should be OK for a traditional wedding setting.

The governor said as of Tuesday’s count, Ross County had administered more than 15,000 vaccinations, which is almost 20% of the county’s population. And that statistic does not count the number of veterans who have received COVID-19 shots at the V.A. Medical Center in Chillicothe, which would add many more to that Ross County total.

When asked about the recently announced plan to create a mass vaccination clinic at Adena Health System, the governor said he hoped to see that opened by March 29th, depending on whether they receive expected shipments of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.

The Adena clinic is expected to have up to 4,000 vaccine doses per week.

Ross County Health District Commissioner Garrett Guillozet said their Shoemaker Center vaccination clinic averages between 300-500 people per day and up to 1,000 per week, with Wednesday typically being their slowest day.

Guillozet added that they have “plenty of open appointments” for vaccinations the week of March 21st.