Data released just one week before Thanksgiving by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana counties with high, or red, levels of COVID-19.
The CDC updates its data once per week from the state departments of health, but the Ohio Department of Health updates its data every Thursday — so there is a week delay in Ohio data on the CDC website.
This means that high-level rating is really reflective of data from the week of Nov. 5. And even though the number of new cases this week is fewer than last week, the Mahoning Valley still has a high rate of cases per 100,000 compared to the rest of the state.
According to ODH data from Nov. 3 to Nov.16, the state average is 158.6 cases per 100,000 people.
Columbiana County is ranked third of 88 counties, with a rate of 224.8 cases per 100,000 people; Mahoning County is ranked 13th, with 195.5 cases per 100,000 people; and Trumbull County is ranked 16th, with 189.9 cases per 100,000 people.
CDC data shows only Trumbull and Mahoning counties with high community levels in the state, but northeast Ohio, from Sandusky County to Ashtabula County to Columbiana County, as a medium level. Almost every other county in the state has a low community level.
Erica Horner, the director of nursing and community health at Mahoning County Public Health, said that because at-home test kits are so widely available now, case numbers likely are higher than what is being reported. If a person tests positive at home, they are responsible for notifying their health district, but not everyone does.
These high numbers could be problematic heading into Thanksgiving week.
“The big thing is, if you’re not feeling well, stay home, get tested and wear a mask,” Horner said.
With other respiratory illnesses going around, some may be quick to write off their symptoms as a common cold, but Horner said the symptoms of respiratory illnesses overlap, so the only real way to know if one does or doesn’t have COVID-19 is to get tested.
She said there are also tests for the flu, so people should talk to their physician about getting tested if they believe they have the flu.
Nationwide, 54.6 million are expected to travel for Thanksgiving. Horner said for those who plan to gather with friends and family, they should think about putting out hand sanitizer, cracking a window, getting an air purifier or any other steps to increase air flow and reduce the spread of germs.
After coming into contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, one should wear a mask for 10 days and get tested five days after exposure.
