“(I) still feel like it isn’t safe,” Gabriel Ferguson of Dayton said Tuesday as he walked with a friend outside Dayton City Hall. Ferguson said as the COVID virus adapts, you can still catch the next big strain.
The current health guidance on masks is a recommendation, not a mandate, and some local residents said they’ll pass.
“I feel like they’re not very helpful,” Madison Arnold of Fairborn said Tuesday at The Greene in Beavercreek. “I feel like the strain of COVID that’s going around is more like a sinus infection, so I don’t really feel like that inherits a need for extreme action.”
Others judge the need for a mask by the situation.
“I keep mine in my back pocket,” John Wilson of Dayton said while he was downtown Tuesday. Wilson said he practices social distancing when he’s not wearing a face mask, and he’ll follow the rules of any local businesses and establishments that may return to requesting mask usage again.
Health officials call for masks
“The recommendation is that people indoors, when they’re around others, should wear a mask regardless of vaccination status,” said Dan Suffoletto, public information manager with Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County.
In last Thursday’s Ohio Department of Health update, new COVID cases and hospitalizations were up 30% statewide. In Montgomery County, the “two-week incident rate” was 8.5 times higher than this time last year. New ODH data will be released on Thursday afternoon.
With the COVID-19 Community Levels at “high” for both Montgomery and Greene counties, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends masking indoors in public, staying up to date on vaccines, getting tested if you have symptoms, and taking extra precautions if you are at risk for severe illness.
Laurie Fox, public information officer for Greene County Public Health, recognized that people are getting tired, though, as the pandemic continues on for over two years at this point.
“The recommendations still stand,” Fox said.
The health departments in both Montgomery and Greene counties say they have not received many requests for guidance on how to respond to the ongoing pandemic beyond what the CDC has recommended.
“Businesses are free to take whatever precautions they need,” Suffoletto said.
Dayton resident and mask wearer Latrease Grant acknowledged face masks can be annoying and uncomfortable, so she suggested trying different types to switch it up.
“It’s protecting you,” Grant said.
Dawn Ausmus of Fairborn said health decisions should be an individual’s choice.
“A lot of people feel like the mask is protecting you, and I appreciate that; however, I feel like we’re all responsible for our own individual selves and our own health as in washing our hands, being clean, and just being responsible,” Ausmus said. “If you’re sick, stay home.”
Stay up to date on CDC guidance
“People should continue to monitor the situation,” Suffoletto said.
Those who want to stay up to date can follow the numbers on Thursdays as state and county case rates per 100,000 (over two weeks) are updated weekly on Thursdays by the Ohio Department of Health, and the CDC also updates its Community Level framework on Thursday evenings, as well. The CDC encourages people to take precautions based on the COVID-19 Community Level in their area.
According to the CDC’s current 7-day metrics, the state of Ohio has a 15-19.9% positivity rate with a 7-day moving average of 207 new hospital admissions. Montgomery County has a positivity rate of 20.49%, and Greene County has a positivity rate of 25.04%.
“The pandemic’s still there. People are still getting sick,” Suffoletto said.
COVID Vaccination opportunities
The CDC recommends one booster shot for everyone age 5 and older after completing their COVID-19 vaccine primary series, if eligible. Two booster shots are recommended for adults 50 and older, as well as some individuals 12 and older who are moderately or severely immunocompromised. For more information, visit cdc.gov.
In Montgomery County, 62% of the population has had at least one dose of the vaccine and 57% are considered fully vaccinated. Of those fully vaccinated, 51.3% have had their first booster shot.
In Greene County, 69.7% of the population has had one dose and 63.3% are fully vaccinated. Of those fully vaccinated, 50.7% have had their first booster dose.
To find a COVID-19 vaccine or booster near you, search vaccines.gov, text your ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233.
Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County is offering a vaccination clinic for ages 5 and up from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, July 27, at Bethesda Temple, 3701 Salem Ave., and Thursday, July 28, at the main library downtown. Appointments are recommended, and people can register at www.phdmc.org.
Dayton Children’s Hospital offers vaccinations by appointment for children 6 months and older. Visit childrensdayton.org for more information.
Greene County Public Health holds vaccination clinics on Fridays from 8:30-10 a.m. and 2-3:30 p.m. at its 360 Wilson Drive office in Xenia.
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