COVID cases skyrocket in Harrison County; mask mandate issued for courthouse

BY JD LONG (jim@harrisonnewsherald.com)

HARRISON COUNTY—For the seventh consecutive week, COVID cases hit a higher number than the week before, and this time, cases hit a whopping 126, up from the 53 last week. It’s also more recorded cases than any one week last year when the pandemic was at its peak.

And effective Thursday, Sept. 16, all courthouse visitors and employees must wear a mask, per a collaborative decision by the juvenile, probate, and common pleas courts. The order is effective regardless of vaccination status.

Harrison County health administrator Garen Rhome stated total cases in the county are now up to 1,471 and said the new cases began “rolling in” last Thursday and continued through the weekend. Two additional deaths were attributed to COVID, bringing the total number to 26. He said that though the deaths occurred in late August, they were just now confirmed as being COVID-related. Rhome also noted that one was as young as their 50s but added that other factors were also involved.

Rhome said most cases have generally been mild, with 10-15% of them being unvaccinated people. There are just six hospitalizations out of the new 126 positives and the 206 in the past three weeks.

Rhome stressed again that minors are now being hit with the virus. “Multiple cases” of infants under the age of two have come down with COVID, including hospitalizations. And like last week, Rhome repeated the same warning: Area hospitals are being pushed to the brink and are close to being overwhelmed.

In a CDC study conducted between April and July of this year, unvaccinated people were found to be five times more likely to be infected with COVID “than a fully vaccinated person.” They are also ten times more likely to be hospitalized and have ten times the chance of dying.