By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Wood County Health Commissioner Ben Robison is seeing two worrisome trends in the county. COVID cases are quickly climbing, and the divides over vaccines and masks seem to be widening.
“I am really concerned about the fracturing we are seeing in our community,” Robison said Thursday evening to the board of health. “I’m really discouraged by the animosity that is growing.”
As of today, Wood County’s COVID transmission rate is just under 380 per 100,000 residents.
“It’s on a pretty steep incline,” Robison said.
The health department’s epidemiologists compared recent COVID numbers to those earlier in the summer. The low point for Wood County was on May 30. It took 33 days from then for the county to see 63 cases of COVID. Now the county is averaging 63 new COVID cases each day.
Research shows that as many as half of COVID cases go unreported, Robison said. That means one out of every 100 people in the county could be contagious at any one time, he added.
During the month of June, Wood County had 48 cases. In the first week of September, the county had 556 cases.
“We are returning to numbers we haven’t seen for a long time,” Robison said.
“To say our trajectory is going the wrong direction is an understatement,” he said.
The cases are coming in so quickly that the health department staff can’t handle them, so the board voted Thursday evening to hire independent contractors to help with contact tracing, vaccinations and communication.
Meanwhile, the divide seems to have widened between those believing in masks and vaccines, and those who don’t. It’s difficult to convince some people to consider the needs of others above their own, Robison said.
“We will not survive a pandemic in our silos,” he said. “We have some tough months ahead of us and we can’t do it in fractured groups.”
As more COVID cases are showing up in local schools, more districts are mandating masks. In schools where masks are required, students can stay in school if they come in contact with someone with COVID. So far this school year, 289 students have had to quarantine because they don’t wear masks in the classroom.
The health department is encouraging other parts of communities to take precautions – such as mandating masks – not just schools.
“We want to give our kids the best chance to be in the classrooms,” he said.
The health department is now offering direct support to schools to help manage COVID cases. The support will help keep students and staff safe, and allow schools to focus on delivering education, Robison said.
Based on the Delta variant experiences of other areas, Robison said the wave here is likely to peak sometime in October.
“We think there are more cases coming,” he said. “We’re trying to be ready for whatever the needs may be.”
Delta often hits high peaks then sees a rapid decline.
“Time will tell if that’s our experience, too,” Robison said.
Herd immunity from so many people getting COVID is not a good plan, he said. Getting COVID to protect from COVID “isn’t a good strategy.”
In the last month, 80% of those in Wood County getting COVID were unvaccinated people. The incident rate among fully vaccinated people was 250 per 100,000. The incident rate among unvaccinated was 1,350 per 100,000.
The ages of people diagnosed with COVID in August included: 7% of those under 9 years old; 15% between 10-19; 25% between 20-29; 15% between 30-39; 13% between 40-49; 12% between 50-59; 7% between 60-69; 4% between 70-79; 1% over 80.
As of today, 55.74% of Wood County’s population has been vaccinated. That’s 72,915 people who have gotten at least their first vaccine dose.
The health department has seen a small increase in the number of people wanting vaccines – probably due to the FDA approval and the Delta variant, Robison said.
People are also inquiring about vaccine booster shots. Robison said there are still many unanswered questions about who should get them, and when they should be given.
“We, like everybody else, are in a hurry up and wait mode,” he said.
With big outdoor community and sporting events being held throughout the county, Robison advised that local residents remember to maintain distance between others, and wear a mask if distancing isn’t possible.
“Take the steps now that will blunt the spread,” he said.
Robison also expressed concern about the health department staff members, who continue putting in long overtime hours.
“I want to make sure we don’t lose any staff to being overwhelmed,” he said. “We’re trying to think long term about this.”
