The Williams County Health Department has developed community talking points in an effort to provide useful information as we work together to prevent COVID-19 spread in our community.
- COVID-19 cases continue to increase in Williams County.
- This week, there has been an increase in positive COVID-19 cases among Williams County residents. In the past 7 days (since November 4th), there have been 160 new cases, 14 hospitalizations, and 2 deaths.
- Williams County has remained orange (level 2) on the Ohio Public Health Advisory System for the past 7 weeks. On November 5th, Williams County triggered 3 of the 7 indicators (New cases per capita, New cases increase, & Non-congregate cases) and high incidence.
- COVID-19 spread in Williams County: A cautionary tale. See attachment for graphic.
- A sick employee was contagious at work and participated in a training with 5 other people in which masks were not properly worn. The employee tested positive for COVID-19. Four out of five of the other employees from the training tested positive also.
- Of those 4, some took it home to their families and 2 from the households became hospitalized. One of the other adults living in an employee’s home became sick but continued to work. They took the virus into their workplace causing 3 of their coworkers to get sick. Due to the length of time they were ill and the location of their offices (common area with a lot of foot traffic), the office had to shut down and 40 employees had to work remotely.
- COVID-19 can move quickly. When people are indoors and following safety precautions, it can make a huge difference. If training with the first case was conducted cautiously with social distancing and masks, or if sick employees stayed home, fewer people would have become sick or affected by the virus. Employers must reevaluate their work environment to protect their employees and their families.
- Last week, Williams County more than tripled the CDC’s definition of high incidence (100 new COVID-19 cases/100k residents in 2 weeks). This means that the risk for community spread (getting COVID-19 from people who were not identified as having COVID-19 or from an unknown source in the community) is very high.
- Community spread endangers our schools, nursing homes, and hospitals. As community spread increases in Williams County, it is important to take extra precautions to keep our community safe and our businesses and schools open.
- Please follow Governor DeWine’s and ODH’s recommendations to reduce community spread: consider cancelling events, wear masks inside and outside (over your mouth, nose, and chin) when you are with anyone who does not live with you, reconsider hosting or attending gatherings of any size with people outside of your household (including gameday watch parties, large wedding receptions, house parties, crowded bars, etc.), and stay home if you are not feeling well.
- Cases associated with schools continue to increase in Williams County. As of yesterday morning (11/10), there have been 61 cases associated with schools (26 staff & 35 students). With each case at a school, an average of 17 people are considered close contacts and were potentially exposed to the virus. Schools are important for students’ emotional, social, and intellectual development. To keep them open, we need to continue to follow safety precautions at home. Continue to be cautious. Don’t gather and don’t let your guard down.