CDC updates its COVID policies, Wyandot County drops to medium community spread

By CALLAN PUGH

Public Health Educator

Wyandot County Public Health

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is updating the way it monitors COVID-19’s impact on our communities.  

Widespread availability of vaccines and testing, advances in treatments, and increasing levels of immunity in the population through vaccination or previous infection have moved the COVID-19 pandemic to a new phase. While all cases of COVID-19 can’t be prevented, spread can continue to be limited and most at risk for severe illness can be protected. 

Given this new phase of the pandemic, CDC is launching a new tool to monitor COVID-19 Community Levels. Each county’s COVID-19 Community Level is ranked as low (green), medium (yellow), or high (orange). The COVID-19 community level map where you can find a county’s level will be updated regularly with new data. Each community’s level is determined by a combination of: 

— How many people with COVID-19 have been admitted into local hospitals in the last week. 

— How many local hospital beds are filled with COVID-19 patients. 

— How many new COVID-19 cases the county has had in the last week. 

The CDC recommends certain prevention measures — such as wearing masks indoors when COVID-19 community levels are high enough to strain the health care system and when needed to protect those at increased risk of severe illness. This allows people to take a break from masks and other measures when risk is low and reach for them again if things are getting worse.  

The community level metrics, which focus on the number of severe cases that require hospital care and use health care resources, and thus are a measure of more serious disease, provide a better picture of COVID-19’s impact on the health of individual people and communities. The COVID-19 community level metrics will help people and public health authorities decide which prevention measures to take. 

As of Feb. 24, Wyandot County is at a medium (yellow) community level. At the medium level, individuals and households should consider doing the following: 

If you are immunocompromised or high risk for severe disease, talk to your healthcare provider about whether you need to wear a mask and take other precautions (e.g., testing). Have a plan for rapid testing if needed (e.g., having home tests or access to testing). Talk to your health care provider about whether you are a candidate for treatments like oral antivirals, PrEP and monoclonal antibodies. Free test kits are available to Wyandot County residents while supplies last at Wyandot County Public Health and at the Upper Sandusky and Carey Libraries. 

If you have household or social contact with someone at high risk for severe disease, consider self-testing to detect infection before contact. Consider wearing a mask when indoors with them. 

Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and boosters. 

Maintain improved ventilation throughout indoor spaces when possible. 

Follow CDC recommendations for isolation and quarantine, including getting tested if you are exposed to COVID-19 or have symptoms of COVID-19. 

Get vaccinated if eligible (everyone 5 and older is eligible), wear a mask indoors in areas where the COVID-19 community Llevel is high, increase ventilation in indoor spaces, and stay home when sick.  

For those who aren’t up to date on their vaccinations, remember, Wyandot County Public Health is holding walk-in Wednesday clinics from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. offering the Moderna and Johnson and Johnson initial doses and boosters to those 18 and older. Area providers also offer vaccine clinics and appointments including the Pfizer vaccine for those under the age of 18. 

For more information on community levels, visit www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/community-levels.html.