HAMILTON COUNTY, Ohio – As of last week, there are 782 new cases of COVID-19. It is the largest increase in positive cases the county has seen since the crisis began, Commissioner Denise Driehaus said.
As of Wednesday morning, there were 4,098 cases across the county.
Here are increases in positive cases in Hamilton County for the past four weeks:
June 3 – 166 new cases (from the previous week)
June 10 – 177 new cases
June 17 – 398 new cases
June 24 – 782 new cases
“You can see that new cases are increasing dramatically in Hamilton County,” said Driehaus.
Acting Health Commissioner Greg Kesterman said part of the increase in cases can be attributed to an increase in testing, but that doesn’t explain everything. He said that community-spread cases (people who interact with others in their daily lives) are also to blame.
Three areas in the county are being particularly affected: ZIP codes 45321 and 45240 (Forest Park, Springfield Township, Mount Healthy, North College Hill) in the northern part of the county and 45238 (Delhi Township, Covedale, Westwood and Price Hill) in the southern area
RELATED: This Map Shows Every COVID-19 Test Location in Hamilton County
Kesterman said communities in the northern part of the county are seeing an increase in cases among younger people. Cases of the virus have been high in these areas during the pandemic, but there is no specific data on why this could be, Kesterman said.
“We know there are some dense housing situations, which can certainly lead to the spread of COVID-19, so that’s a theory we have,” said Kesterman.
Cases are high in Delhi township due to an increase in nursing home cases, so the tests have been aggressive there, according to Kesterman.
Driehaus said the black community has been testing disproportionately higher for the virus, and that there is an increase in cases within the Hispanic population. Driehaus said county partners are working to spread the message within those communities.
The National Guard will help establish six “emerging evidence” sites within the three ZIP codes. The tests will be free and the dates and times will be released in the near future.
Additionally, the county is using $ 19 million in CARES funds to provide evidence in the community. Hamilton County is the only county in the state that dedicates those resources to testing, Driehaus said.
Kesterman said the number of breeders against the virus is 1.62, up from 1.45 last week. The reproductive number for the region is 1.50, up from 1.10 last week.
“You think about the number of broodstock that if it’s more than one, the outbreak will continue to spread,” Kesterman said.
Kesterman said he understands the community has “COVID fatigue,” but the message about stopping the spread is the same as at the start of the pandemic.
“We want to wash our hands, we want people to cover their coughs, we want people to stay sick at home, we want to mask ourselves when you’re in public places,” said Kesterman.
Driehaus echoed these concerns, saying he suspects people are starting to relax and let their guard down.
“Behave like you have the virus and everyone around you has it … now more than ever, it is key that we practice the things we know to stop the spread,” Driehaus said.
Driehaus said 1,942 people have recovered from the virus in Hamilton County.
A map of test sites and other COVID-19 data in Hamilton County is available at HCPH.org.
Click here to see the test site map.
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