COLUMBUS, Ohio – Cuyahoga County and six others across the state have been placed on Alert Level 3 under Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s new coronavirus alert system, and the governor asks residents to “consider only the necessary trips. “
The other counties put on the same alert Thursday were Butler, Franklin, Hamilton, Huron, Montgomery and Trumbull.
In these counties, the governor said: “Ohioans should limit activities as much as possible.” Wear a mask when you go out, for sure. Consider online options, perhaps even for religious services. Many cases of community spread are present in these counties. ”
However, the governor said the new system did not come with a mandate; It is just a way to inform public and local authorities.
Alert Level 3, or red, is the second highest in the new warning system announced Thursday. DeWine said Franklin County is being monitored to be raised to the highest level of concern, Level 4, marked as a purple alert.
Although DeWine said that community spread of the coronavirus exists in all 88 counties, 53 counties were assigned the lowest level: Alert Level 1, or yellow.
Another 28 counties were assigned Alert Level 2, or orange.
He detailed a seven-point monitoring system that can be increased to 10 measurements.
Failure to meet any of the current criteria places a county at Level 1; two or three at level 2; four or five at level 3; and six or seven at level 4.
Here are the criteria:
* 1. New cases per capita: alert activated when there are 50 cases per 100,000 residents during a two-week period.
* 2. Increase of new cases: alert activated if the number of new cases increases during five days.
* 3. Uncategorized life cases: alert activated when at least 50% of new cases in the last three weeks come from places other than long-term care centers or prisons.
* 4. Early indicator: emergency rooms: alert activated when there is a sustained increase over five days of visits by people with confirmed symptoms or cases.
* 5. Early indicator: doctor visits: alert triggered when there is a sustained increase in outpatient visits, including remote visits, over five days for people with confirmed symptoms or cases.
* 6. Hospitalizations: Alert goes off when there is a sustained increase in new COVID-19 patients over five days, depending on the county or residence, not the location of the hospital.
* 7. Occupancy in the Intensive Care Unit: the alert is activated when the occupation of the ICU in a region exceeds 80% of the total number of beds in the ICU, counting both coronavirus patients and those in the ICU for other reasons.
Cuyahoga County has met the first four criteria, DeWine said, noting that the spread is growing outside congregated settings.
New case onset in the past two weeks is at its highest level to date, emergency room visits have doubled and outpatient visits with symptoms have tripled, DeWine said of Cuyahoga County.
“Our best defense to move forward is to be on the offensive,” DeWine said, explaining why the warning system was developed. “How we live with this virus. We have to be smart about it. We have to be careful about it. “
Just west of Cleveland, Huron County is on Alert Level 3, largely due to an increase in farm cases. In Trumbull, north of Youngstown, DeWine said visits to the emergency room have tripled. Huron, Trumbull and Butler counties met four of the criteria.
Montgomery, Hamilton and Franklin counties each met five criteria. DeWine said Hamilton’s cases quadrupled and growth in Franklin has been “explosive,” with 1,500 new cases in the past two weeks.
DeWine said the indicators that can be added later involve contact tracing, per capita testing and positive testing rates.
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