Photo: CDC/Dr. Fred Murphy, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Public Health; public domain.
COVID Update | Dec. 29, 2022
- Published: December 29, 2022
Greene County has moved from a “medium” to a “high” community level for COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention’s most recent assessment, released Thursday, Dec. 22. Given the county’s “high” designation, the CDC advises that masks be worn in public indoor spaces, and that people at high risk of getting very sick avoid nonessential indoor public activities.
Greene County is among 16 Ohio counties currently ranked “high” for the virus. A majority of Ohio’s counties, 51, are at a “medium” level, while 21 are ranked “low.”
• Greene County’s number of new cases rose over the last week of reporting, with 315 for Dec. 15–21, compared to 294 for Dec. 8–14. The 45387 ZIP accounted for five of those cases, compared to 12 the week before.
• The number of new COVID-19 hospital admissions in Greene County was 16, compared to 22 the week before. The county reported two new coronavirus deaths; the county’s total number of deaths since the start of the pandemic is 537.
• Greene County also reported an increase in the number of new cases per 100,000 residents over the most recent two-week period, with 330.9 as of Dec. 22, compared to 280 reported Dec. 15. The county’s latest numbers put it 20th in the state. Erie County, in northern Ohio, is at the top, with 557.5; and Holmes County, in the eastern central part of the state, is at the bottom, with 77.3. Ohio’s 88-county average of new cases per 100,000 residents over a two-week period also rose for another week, from 249.6, reported Dec. 15, to 267.8, reported Dec. 22.
• The statewide total of new cases for Dec. 15–21 was 17,891, compared to 16,719 for Dec. 8–14.
• Ohio’s number of new hospitalizations also rose, moving from 636 for Dec. 8–14 to 666, for Dec. 15–21. Total COVID-19 hospitalizations across the state as of Dec. 21 numbered 1,292, compared to 1,207 on Dec. 14.
• The number of COVID-related deaths in the state reported for Dec. 15–21 was 93, compared to 103 for Dec. 8–14. The total number of deaths in Ohio since the start of the pandemic was 40,840 as of Dec. 22.
• Free rapid antigen tests can be obtained from the Greene County Health Department, 360 Wilson Drive, Xenia; and through the county library system. The county libraries no longer distribute proctored test kits; the currently available kits are for personal use only and cannot be used for travel, return to school or to end a quarantine. Call the Yellow Springs Library at 937-352-4003 for current availability and the procedure for pickup.
Home test kits also are again temporarily available through the federal government, with every household in the U.S. eligible to receive four free kits; order online at covidtests.gov.
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