County seeing more COVID hospitalizations

WAPAKONETA — Auglaize County Health Commissioner Oliver Fisher reported that although people of every age group are catching the virus, they have seen more cases involving those 20 to 30 as well as school age children in recent days. In Auglaize County there are a total of 627 cases as of this writing, 545 of which are confirmed.

Fisher didn’t think schools were the issue, rather, he said schools are a snapshot of the community and it is what kids are doing afterward that is creating more of a problem adding this includes social gatherings among young people.

Fisher also said since people no longer have to be hospitalized to get tested, it is leading to higher case numbers. He repeated people need to be cautious.

“There is a lot of talk that the virus has changed to be less severe, but it is spreading more rapidly and could still affect those who are vulnerable,” Fisher said, adding that even though they haven’t seen many deaths, they have seen hospitalizations increase in Auglaize County.

Fisher encourages the public to make use of virtual meeting opportunities and to assess the risks when deciding to plan events.

He said wearing face masks and practicing social distancing continues to be important and the number of people at events should be minimal.

The health department will also hold a drive-thru flu shot clinic from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 21 at the county fairgrounds. Health board members have recommended getting a shot in October to help maximize the length of immunity for the flu season.