After a sharp approximately three-week surge in disease activity in January, reported new COVID cases are declining quickly in Union County. As of data through Feb. 5, 2022, 367 new cases were reported during the week of Jan. 30-Feb. 5. This down from just under 1,100 case reported during the seven days from Jan. 8-14. The declining trend began approximately the last week of January and has continued to hold. The new case rate, just over 600 new cases per 100,000 people as of data from Feb. 5, is still well above the CDC threshold for high incidence. We continue to encourage residents to stay home when sick, social distance when in public, mask usage when indoors in crowded public areas, and to stay up-to-date on COVID vaccination.
Source: CDC COVID Data Tracker
We are continuing to clean local data in regards to hospitalizations and deaths and do not have finalized data available. Early data indicates, approximately 40-50 new COVID related hospitalizations were reported during Jan. 2022. Death records initially indicate four Union County residents died from COVID related illness in January.
Source: ODH COVID -19 Dashboard
COVID Vaccination: COVID vaccination clinics are available at the Union County Health Department Monday through Friday with evening hours on Tuesdays. Appointments for ages 12 and older can be booked online at www.uchdclinic.org. COVID vaccination clinics are slated to continue through February. Child COVID vaccinations are now being incorporated into our regular nursing clinic. Parents of children age 5-11 can book vaccination appointments by calling 937-645-2058.
Boosters are recommended for individuals who completed their primary two-dose Pfizer or Moderna COVID vaccination series at least five months ago. Individuals who received a Johnson & Johnson single vaccine are encouraged to receive a booster shot at least two months after initial dose.
COVID Testing: The Union County Health Department remains out of at-home COVID test kits. We do not know if or when we may receive another shipment of home test kits. We are continuing to offer drive thru PCR testing on Mondays and Thursdays from 10am-Noon at the Union County Fairgrounds. Results typically take 24-48 hours. Appointments are strongly encouraged and can be booked online at www.unioncountycovid.org/testing.
Isolation & Quarantine Guidance:
- POSITIVE FOR COVID: Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 should stay home at least five days. If symptoms are significantly improved and no fever has been present for at least 24 hours, activities can be resumed IF a mask can be worn consistently and correctly when around others. To calculate isolation time frame, day 0 is your first day of symptoms or the date a positive test sample was collected. Day 1 is the first full day after your symptoms developed or your test specimen was collected. If you have COVID-19 or have symptoms, isolate for at least 5 days. Do not travel for 10 full days if you are COVID positive. Avoid being around people who are high risk for serious outcomes.
- CONTACT WITH SOMEONE WITH COVID: Individuals who have had close contact with someone with COVID should stay home at least five days and monitor for symptoms. If no symptoms develop, activities can be resumed and a mask needs to be worn for 10 full days from last exposure. To calculate quarantine time frame, the date of your exposure is considered day 0. Day 1 is the first full day after your last contact with a person who has had COVID-19. If a close contact is up-to-date on COVID vaccination AND is not having symptoms, the CDC does not recommend quarantine, but does recommend masking for 10 days and monitoring for symptoms. Up-to-date on COVID vaccination is defined as having received booster if eligible – or – it has been less than five months since primary Pfizer or Moderna series completed – or – less than two months since single Johnson & Johnson vaccine received.