COVID-related hospitalizations in Southwest Ohio have crept up in recent weeks, according to the Ohio Department of Health’s respiratory dashboard.
For the week ending Sept. 6, the most recent data available, at least 41 people were hospitalized for the illness across Hamilton, Butler, Clermont and Warren counties.
The number hospitalized is still lower than it was in December and January, when cases usually peak, though cases can also surge during warmer seasons.
Here’s the latest on how to protect against COVID as we head into fall.
Official guidelines on staying safe from COVID
Federal public health authorities and experts currently do not align in their COVID-19 vaccine guidance.
Under U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new federal guidelines, only Americans age 65 and older, or those who are immunocompromised, will be recommended to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. This means that if you do not check those boxes, you may now have to pay out of pocket for the vaccine, which was previously covered by your insurance plan.
State health departments and national medical organizations, such as the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists disagreed with the new federal guidelines, also recommending the vaccine for pregnant people and healthy children.
A handful of states circumvented the change in federal guidelines to allow pharmacies to administer the vaccine.
“Vaccines for influenza, RSV, and COVID-19 remain among the best tools to protect the public against these illnesses and their potentially serious complications,” read an open letter published by the American Medical Association in June. The group urged insurers to keep vaccines accessible without forcing patients to pay out of pocket. The letter was cosigned by the Ohio State Medical Association and around 80 other groups representing doctors across the country.
When to test for COVID
You should use an at-home kit to test for COVID when you have symptoms such as a cough, runny nose or fever. The testing kits should be able to detect the newest variants of COVID.
While state and federal authorities are no longer mailing households free COVID tests, you can check pharmacy websites to see if your insurance plan will cover the cost instead.
How long can you potentially spread COVID?
You’re most contagious from before you begin to show symptoms to a few days afterward. You may still be contagious for up to 10 days following infection, according to the CDC, though it is possible for you to test positive for the virus even when you’re no longer symptomatic.
Stay home and limit your contact with other people as you recover, unless you need medical attention. If you need to be around other people within your home, wear a mask and wash your hands frequently, infectious disease experts advise.
If you’re still testing positive after you’ve recovered, take extra precautions around anyone who is high-risk. This includes older adults and people with underlying medical conditions, who are at higher risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: COVID cases are rising. What to know
Reporting by Elizabeth B. Kim, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
