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Harrison County COVID-19 cases halved from a week ago
BY JD LONG (jim@harrisonnewsherald.com)
HARRISON COUNTY—After two months of rising COVID cases, a reduction was recorded. Sixty-three new cases have been reported this week — which halves new cases from last week (126).
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“We’re hopeful that this becomes a trend and continues,” said Harrison County health administrator Garen Rhome. “We’re seeing fewer hospitalizations across our hospital region.”
Rhome now reports 1,665 total recorded cases in Harrison County, with 1,551 presumed recoveries. One additional death has also been reported bringing that total to 27. Rhome said the death occurred in August, and the individual was in their 70s. In addition, active cases dropped dramatically, from 259 reported last week versus 87 currently.
Rhome also reported a rise in people seeking vaccinations, with some inquiring about a Pfizer booster shot. “CDC recommends that certain populations receive a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine at least six months after completion of their two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine series,” Rhome added. People eligible for booster shots include those 65 years and older; long-term care residents and their staff; people 18 years and older who have underlying medical conditions, such as diabetes, asthma, and obesity; or individuals 18 and older who work in high-risk settings, including health care, teachers, or grocery store workers.
“Protection against the virus may decrease over time and be less able to protect against the delta variant,” according to the CDC. “Data from a small clinical trial show that a Pfizer-BioN- Tech booster shot increased the immune response in trial participants who finished their primary series six months earlier. With an increased immune response, people should have improved protection against COVID-19, including the delta variant,” Rhome continued.
According to the CDC, around 58% of eligible Ohioans have been vaccinated; just over 42,000 cases have been recorded in the state, with a positivity rate of 10-14.9%. The seven-day rolling metric from Sept. 24- 30 states that 349 deaths have been recorded in Ohio because of COVID.
