COVID-19 transmission remains high locally

SANDUSKY — Amid indications that the new omicron variant of COVID-19 is spreading very rapidly, transmission of the coronavirus is continuing to be high in the Sandusky area. A new weekly report issued Monday by Ashley Franks, epidemiologist for the Erie County Health Department, said there were 375 new cases in a week's time in Erie County and described the case rate as high. There is one outbreak still considered active, at Parkvue senior living, but there have been no new cases in recent days, Franks said, with the case count remaining at 10. Meanwhile, reports indicate that the omicron variant is spreading very quickly in the U.S. and seems likely to generate a big wave of cases in the next few weeks. Scientists are still debating whether omicron cases are less severe than delta cases. Writing for her Substack newsletter, epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina wrote Friday, "Omicron cases are growing really fast. Like explosive, skyrocketing, vertical growth fast. If we continue this rate of spread, I would venture to say that there is no modern day virus that has spread this fast and this far ever before." "Given CDC estimated 2.9% omicron cases on Dec 11, which was up from 0.4% on Dec 4, models suggest that omicron will start spiking case rates between Christmas and New Years. On a national level, we will probably peak in the second week of January," she wrote. Jetelina wrote that she is increasingly concerned about older adults. "Given that only 52% of Americans 65+ have a booster, this population is going to have a lot of breakthrough cases. And I really hope they don't also end up at the hospital," she wrote. No omicron cases have been confirmed yet in Erie County, Franks said. Huron County Public Health reported Friday that Huron County cases continue to rise. The agency reported 316 new cases, up from 303 the previous week, with the highest infection rate in the New London area. On Monday, Firelands Regional Medical Center reported 37 patients hospitalized for COVID-19, including 10 vaccinated patients and 27 unvaccinated patients. There were 16 COVID-19 patients in critical care, including 14 who are unvaccinated. Four patients were on ventilators, two vaccinated and two unvaccinated. The hospital said 80% of its patients admitted in the last 30 days are unvaccinated. Monday also was the day that National Guard members were to begin showing up at Ohio hospitals. Last week, Gov. Mike DeWine ordered more than 1,000 Guard members to help hospitals, which have been stressed by the large number of patients from the recent COVID-19 surge. Firelands Regional Medical Center's administration said Monday it supports efforts to relieve hospitals in the Cleveland area, which have been hit harder than Firelands by the surge. "The Ohio Hospital Association has been in contact with Firelands as well as administration from other hospitals around the state. We understand that in the Cleveland and Akron areas, nurse to patient ratios are rising (up to 8 or 9 to 1) and dozens of patients are being boarded in a number of emergency rooms," Firelands spokesman Jordan Sternberg said Monday. "We have not reached those levels at this time. For Firelands, Cleveland is a main transfer location in the event we are not able to care for patients due to capacity or cases beyond our scope. We support the National Guard being sent to these areas that need the most support in order to open additional capacity, further helping patients. This strategy will help Firelands and our community," Sternberg said. "In our community, COVID-19 is rampant, however, we've been able to care for our patients through the present day. Where our census has been higher on average, the ability to care for patients has remained strong. This situation is ongoing and can change from day to day. We will continue to watch how this situation progresses, and we will be sure to keep the community informed," he concluded. Fisher-Titus Medical Center in Norwalk reported Monday that it hasn't received any help yet. "Dr. (Brent) Burkey took part in an Ohio hospital CEO call today and there was no indication on when determinations will be made," said spokeswoman Alexandria Cruey, referring to the hospital's president. "The state, National Guard, and other agencies are working to determine exact deployment plans." On Monday, the state health department reported 8,082 new cases and said hospitalizations for COVID-19 in Ohio are continuing to rise, with 4,795 reported Monday.