County wise to revise probe procedures

Coaches of sports teams know the important role that a solid game plan can play in achieving victory over a formidable opponent. In a similar way, public health agencies also need to develop strategic approaches as they try to curb the spread of novel coronavirus.

However, it’s clear that whether you’re dealing with sports or COVID-19, game plans sometimes must be modified after the action gets underway, in order to produce a successful outcome.

That reality was demonstrated recently when the Lake County General Health District established new COVID-19 investigation procedures.

The district, on Nov. 18, stated that the surge in novel coronavirus cases since Nov. 1 has made it necessary to revisit case interview and contract tracing procedures and “prioritize activities that will maximize the number of lives saved.”

“The difficult decision has been made to shift staff resources to conducting case interviews, and limit contact tracing activities for most confirmed cases of COVID-19,” the health district stated in a news release.

Lake County General Health District officials said Nov. 17 that they’ve seen more cases in the past two weeks than they did from when they reported their first case March 17 through Nov. 2. The Lake County General Health District releases COVID-19 data reports each Wednesday, with data as of 2 p.m. Tuesday. For the third straight week, Lake County saw a record number of cases. Between Nov. 10 and Nov. 17, there were 1,598 new COVID-19 cases reported. The week prior there were 1,020 new cases reported. The week before that there were 490 new cases reported.

Then on Nov. 19, it was announced that Lake County now has the third highest incidence rate in the state and is at risk of moving to the highest level of the state’s COVID-19 Public Health Advisory System.

Over a two-week period from Nov. 4 to Nov. 17, Lake County had 1,032.8 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents. That’s more than 10 times the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s definition of high incidence (100 cases per 100,000).

“Systematic testing, contact tracing, and supported isolation and quarantine remain the cornerstone of an effective public health response to the COVID-19 epidemic,” Lake County General Health District Commissioner Ron Graham said in a statement. “However, the ongoing high level of disease activity in Lake County, and across Ohio, is resulting in alarming numbers of cases and exposed contacts that exceed the capacity of the public health workforce in nearly all jurisdictions.

“Similar to how hospitals postpone elective surgeries and prioritize care to certain high-risk patients, public health must prioritize and adjust to rapidly changing conditions in a community.”

The health district stated Lake County residents can expect the following:

• The health district will only contact individuals with confirmed cases of COVID-19, rather than probable cases, reported via the Ohio Disease Reporting System. Interviews will be conducted to determine isolation periods, identify close contacts, and determine the risk of transmission to vulnerable populations.

• The health district is requesting that individuals with confirmed cases communicate directly to their own close contacts to notify of possible exposure.

The health district will conduct limited contact tracing only if those individuals are determined to be at high risk for severe disease, are critical infrastructure workers, or are at risk for creating an outbreak. As a result, contact tracing will not occur in most situations.

In conclusion, we commend the Lake County General Health District for adjusting its case interview and contract tracing procedures in response to the soaring number of COVID-19 cases in the community.

The district is striving to use its available personnel in ways that will help achieve optimum results in stemming the spread of COVID-19. And in our opinion, that approach seems like a smart game plan