LANCASTER − While COVID-19 doesn’t get the headlines it once did, the virus is still around.
Case numbers in Ohio and Fairfield County have risen this summer.
The Ohio Department of Health reported 4,575 cases for the week of July 18 to July 24, a roughly 17% increase from the previous week, the Columbus Dispatch reports.
In Fairfield County, there were 156 reported cases as of July 29. There were 100 cases in June and 67 in May.
Fairfield County Health Commissioner Joe Ebel said the rise is due to summer parties and the like.
“We’re seeing the numbers go up,” he said. “It seems like the same has happened in the past. Like around the Fourth of July everybody’s getting together for events and the numbers start to jump up. Pretty much everyone is seeing numbers spike just because there are so many events and get-togethers.”
Ebel said he didn’t know if the current COVID strains are weaker than past ones. But he said herd immunity and the number of those vaccinated and those who have been exposed to the virus has led to less severe outcomes than in the past.