Ohio's COVID-19 rates spikes
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Ohio has among the highest levels of COVID-19 in the country as we head into the holiday travel season, Alex Fitzpatrick and Alice Feng report from the latest CDC data.
Why it matters: While many Americans by this point have some combination of natural and vaccine-induced immunity, COVID can still make people plenty sick and force them to miss school, work (if they can), and holiday activities.
- It also remains a potentially fatal threat for vulnerable groups like the elderly and immunocompromised.
- There have been nearly 67,200 deaths nationwide related to COVID-19 so far this year, per provisional CDC data. That's down significantly from approximately 246,200 last year and 463,300 in 2021, but still a considerable toll.
Plus: Some evidence suggests that multiple exposures can have a kind of cumulative negative effect, though research here remains ongoing.
The big picture: As of early December, 22 states had "very high" COVID-19 wastewater levels as defined by the CDC, which compares current rates to baseline measurements at sites nationwide.
- Many of the states with "very high" levels are concentrated in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic.
Of note: Wastewater analysis is one of the best methods these days for tracking the spread of COVID-19, given how few people are testing and how few of those results are reported to local or state health officials.
Yes, but: It's a relatively new method of tracking contagions that's still getting fleshed out.
- One important caveat: While some states have dozens of wastewater reporting sites, some only have a handful, one, or none at all.
- States with, say, just one wastewater analysis site are categorized according to the findings at that site, even if that data may not accurately reflect local spread across the entire state.
Meanwhile, the CDC recently sounded the alarm so far on low levels of COVID-19, flu, and RSV vaccinations.
- As of Dec. 14, only 13.3% of Cuyahoga County residents and less than 10% of residents statewide were up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines, per the state's dashboard.
The bottom line: There's enough data to pretty clearly show a worsening COVID-19 situation nationally — especially when considered alongside other metrics, like hospitalizations, which are rising in many of the places with "very high" wastewater rates.
- That's not entirely surprising, given how COVID has surged in past winters. But it's still a reminder that the most vulnerable may want to take extra precautions this holiday season, like masking up, skipping big crowds, and so on.