Hancock County virus cases appear to plateau

Health Commissioner Karim Baroudi said Hancock Public Health is relieved that the number of coronavirus cases in the community no longer appears to be increasing, but they would like to see the numbers come down. Instead, COVID-19 cases in Hancock County appear to have reached a plateau. Baroudi said Friday that the county is averaging about 44.7 new cases per day. The numbers seem to be leveling out, with maybe one day higher and the next lower, and haven't changed much since last week, he said. Baroudi said the "stubborn" surge isn't really dropping yet. Over the past week, the health department has recorded 313 new cases of the virus in county residents, along with two additional deaths and 22 new hospitalizations. Baroudi said the two deaths were a 68-year-old man who was unvaccinated and an 83-year-old woman who was vaccinated. Since the pandemic began, Hancock Public Health has recorded 9,435 cases of the virus in county residents. A total of 657 county residents have been hospitalized and 149 have died since the pandemic began, according to information updated by Hancock Public Health on Friday. The county's incidence of the virus was 409.06 cases per 100,000 people. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines high incidence of the virus as 100 cases or more per 100,000 people in a two-week period. And 11.24% of local COVID-19 tests came back positive in the past week, the health department reported. There were 334 active cases of the virus in Hancock County residents as of Friday, ranging in age from 2 months to 99 years old, Baroudi said. Of the active cases, 245, or 73.4%, were people who were unvaccinated. And 54 of the 334, or 16.2%, were school-age children. As of Friday, 12 Hancock County residents were hospitalized with COVID-19, including 11 at Blanchard Valley Hospital and one at Ohio State University, Baroudi said. The hospitalized patients range in age from 29 to 91. Baroudi encouraged people to continue safety precautions including masking and distancing, to help decrease the number of infections. He said the health department isn't hearing from a large number of people newly wanting to be vaccinated. They are, however, being asked about booster shots. And he said there are "a lot of questions" about when the vaccine will be available for younger children. (It is currently only available for those 12 and older.) Baroudi said he's hoping that this apparent interest means more of the community will get vaccinated when the shots are available for younger kids. Hancock Public Health and the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library have BinaxNow home rapid tests available to the community. Those interested should call ahead to check availability. COVID-19 testing is also available at: • RiteAid: PCR testing can be scheduled at rideaid.com, with results in three to seven days. No rapid testing is available. • Kroger: No testing is available at the store. BinaxNow home rapid tests are available for purchase. • CVS: PCR testing can be scheduled at cvs.com, with results in three to five days. Rapid home testing is available for purchase. • Physicians Plus: PCR testing is available after a provider evaluation. • NWO express Clinic: PCR and rapid testing are available for walk-ins, but appointments are strongly recommended. • Blanchard Valley Health System: PCR and rapid testing are available with a referral. COVID-19 vaccines are available at: • RiteAid: Pfizer (and booster) and Moderna vaccines are available by appointment at riteaid.com • Kroger: Pfizer (and booster) vaccines are available. Schedule an appointment by calling or visiting kroger.com • Walmart: Pfizer (and booster) and Moderna vaccines are available by appointment at walmart.com • CVS: Pfizer (and booster) vaccines are available by appointment at cvs.com • Great Scot: Johnson & Johnson vaccines are available. Call to make an appointment. Arthurs: 419-427-8494