According to the Ohio Department of Health the number of new COVID-19 cases per capita for Allen County is 248. This number represents the number of new cases per 100,000 people in Allen County over the past 14 days.
Local public health officials are noting a drastic increase in the number of new daily reported cases:
There have been 392 newly reported cases to date in this month, and 33 hospitalizations
If this pace continues, October will record the most cases and hospitalizations in a month since the start of the pandemic
Allen County has the 7th highest per capita rate of Ohio’s 88 counties, at 248.17/100,000 residents
High Number of Cases is Impacting Contact Tracing
Disease Investigation
Allen County Public Health (ACPH) contacts individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 to conduct a disease investigation. Individuals are asked about their health, who they have been around, and where they have spent time while they were able to spread COVID-19 to others. ACPH shares information on the importance of isolation and the recommended length of that isolation.
Contact Tracing
Typically, upon completion of the initial disease investigation with a newly-identified individual who has COVID-19, people that are named as having been in close contact with the COVID-19 positive individual are notified of their exposure and the need to quarantine. The quicker this can happen, the more it will reduce the spread. People that know their test results can reach out to the contacts they know quicker than Allen County Public Health during this time of vast spread. The rapidly increasing number of cases is extending the time it takes for notifications of exposure for close contacts of newly-identified cases. ACPH is asking individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 to let people that they know and have had close contact with (within 6 feet for more than 15 minutes) that they need to quarantine.
COVID-19 is Spreading in the Community
ACPH is continuing to investigate an outbreak at a fraternal organization in Allen County, but points out that similar outbreaks are likely as we are experiencing vast community spread. “The coronavirus needs people to thrive and spread – it does not discriminate on who or where those people are,” states Allen County Public Health Commissioner Kathy Luhn. “Organizations and activities that bring together large groups are providing opportunities for the virus to continue to spread. Please keep your gatherings small and spread out.”
