The entire Greater Cincinnati area is under COVID-19 alert, with cases from the region’s Labor Day celebrations still to come.
As of Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists every single county in Ohio and Kentucky — including counties around Cincinnati on both sides of the Ohio River — as having high risk for COVID-19 transmission. All counties on the CDC’s data tracker are red, indicating the most severe situation.
After initially having speedy vaccination rates and subsequent downward-trending cases in the spring, Greater Cincinnati has become a hot spot for the coronavirus this summer and heading into autumn. On June 13, Ohio had just 182 daily COVID-19 cases, according to the state’s coronavirus dashboard. Since then, the case rate has steadily increased to 325 on July 6; 2,251 on Aug. 6; and 6,326 on Aug. 31.
Similarly, hospitalizations have increased over the summer. On June 14, just 34 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Ohio, compared to 24 on July 6; 77 on Aug. 6; and 122 on Aug. 31.
Cases and hospitalizations have increased in Cincinnati’s home of Hamilton County, as well. On June 6, 19 Hamilton County residents reported COVID; on Aug. 31, that number had dramatically increased to 406 cases, according to Ohio’s dashboard.
Things are no better in Kentucky, where 10,500 residents have reported new COVID-19 cases, according to Aug. 4 comments from Gov. Andy Beshear. Beshear also said that record numbers of residents were in hospitals and on ventilators, and 1,547 cases were in people ages 18 and younger.
Ohio and Kentucky doctors both have been sounding the alarms over the increase in pediatric COVID-19 patients. Last week, Dr. Patricia Manning, chief of staff at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, said the abundance of COVID-19 in the region also is contributing to spikes in other respiratory illnesses in kids and is overwhelming medical facilities.
“I really want to stress that our entire pediatric healthcare system is under stress and strain right now. By that, I mean our emergency rooms, our urgent cares, our primary care practices, our community physicians are seeing some of the highest volumes that they ever see,” Manning said.
Manning said that the ever-increasing number of patients means that hospital officials have to make difficult decisions about deferring surgeries, turning away transfer patients and postponing outpatient visits. “That will mean affecting care for everyone — even those who don’t believe that COVID-19 is real.”
“If you’re a human being and you might have a healthcare issue, this affects you. Because if you need a healthcare system to meet your need… and particularly if you’re a child, you might need a healthcare system. If those healthcare systems are under so much stress and strain and we have limited beds, your ability to get any kind of care will be impacted because we will have to make decisions around where our resources go,” Manning said. “We don’t want to have to do that, so we’re begging you to help us.”
The Delta variant of the coronavirus largely has been responsible for the sharp uptick in cases, hospitalizations and deaths, and scientists warn that this strain is much more dangerous than the original virus. People infected with Delta carry 1,000 times more of the virus, which makes it easier to transmit among others when speaking, singing, sneezing or breathing hard, particularly within indoor areas. Health experts say that Delta is more than twice as easy to spread than last year’s version.
Unvaccinated individuals are at the highest risk for severe infection and substantial health issues from coronavirus, experts say, though some vaccinated individuals have also have become infected due to Delta’s highly contagious nature and the number of unvaccinated individuals within their communities. Symptoms and rates are less severe in individuals who are fully vaccinated with a Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine, though. According to the CDC, a “fully vaccinated” person is one who is two weeks past their second dose of a two-dose vaccine (Pfizer and Moderna) or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine (J&J).
Not all individuals are eligible for COVID-19 vaccines, though, which concerns health officials. Medical leaders repeatedly mention masking as a way to protect children, who are unable to be vaccinated if they are ages 11 and under. The contagious virus also is a danger to people with weakened immune systems, including those with cancer or respiratory issues.
Manning, Cincinnati Children’s chief, stressed that getting vaccinated from COVID-19 is the best way to protect loved ones.
“When you think about what you can do to protect the kids in your life, you can get vaccinated,” Manning insisted. “You can wear a mask when you’re indoors, including at school. You can really be careful about large events and whether or not those need to be attended. All of those things will help us manage those volumes that we’re dealing with.”
For COVID-19 vaccine locations and information, visit coronavirus.ohio.gov in Ohio and kycovid19.ky.gov in Kentucky.
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This article appears in Sep 1-14, 2021.
