Logan County’s alert level may increase to level 2
Logan County Health District officials reported Friday afternoon that cases of COVID-19 have recently spiked in the county, and Logan County Health Commissioner Dr. Boyd Hoddinott is urging community members to take individual safety precautions — such a wearing a mask while indoors and social distancing — to avoid the county moving into higher alert levels and greater restrictions.
Currently, Logan County is at “Yellow Level 1,” the lowest alert level for the coronavirus public health emergency. However, the health commissioner said with the active case increase, the county is beginning to move into “Orange Level 2” public emergency level, where there is increased exposure and spread and residents are urged to exercise a high degree of caution.
These new Ohio Public Health Advisory Alert Levels change weekly as cases increase or decrease.
“If we get to the Red Level 3, then masks are mandated by the governor and we have to start closing some businesses again,” Dr. Hoddinott said. “We wanted to send out this health advisory to urge people to do what they can so that we don’t get to this point. I don’t want our economy to take another hit and I want to our community members to stay healthy.
“The health of all of our citizens rests on our ability as a community to use the things we have to fight the virus. These activities are known to work if we all do our best to follow them — masks on everyone; physical distance; restricting travel; isolation when sick; quarantine; handwashing; and not gathering in large groups.”
Friday, Logan County reported a total of 88 COVID-19 cases, which includes 50 confirmed cases, 24 probable cases and 14 antibody positive cases. Tuesday, the county reported a total of 84 cases of the virus.
Dr. Hoddinott noted that the most recent cases in Logan County have been of unknown origin, while in the last week, some were related to traveling.
Among the 88 cases, 30 of the cases are reported as active COVID-19 cases, which is concerning because Logan County previously has had only about 10 active cases at a time, the health commissioner said.
Also fortunately, the new cases of the virus have not involved any hospitalizations or ICU admissions, Dr. Hoddinott said. The cases have been reported in younger individuals, some of them in the workforce.
“What we’re seeing is that some people are still reporting to work when they’re sick. We really are encouraging them to stay home to stop the spread,” the health commissioner said.
With the Logan County Fair starting Sunday and continuing throughout next week, Dr. Hoddinott said he has encouraged the Logan County Fair Board to host its annual exposition, and said outdoor activities are relatively safe. He encouraging fair-goers to continue social distancing and to wear a mask if unable to social distance at indoor exhibits.
“We are seeing that mostly kids under 18 do not get this,” he said, relating to the youths who will benefit from exhibiting their fair projects.
Alert levels are reported at www.loganhealth.org or https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/public-health-advisory-system.