Allen County is experiencing its highest surge of coronavirus cases since the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The following announcement was made today by the Allen County Health Department:

Prior to this recent surge of cases that began in October, the most cases Allen County had reported in one month was 522 in August. In just the past 5 days Allen County has reported 603 new cases.

The most recent comparison of per capita rates of Ohio’s 88 counties ranked Allen County as having the 4th highest rate of new cases per 100,000 people in the past 14 days.

Effective Monday, Nov. 16, at 8:00 a.m., Allen County Public Health will offer limited non-COVID related services. This will be in effect through Friday, Nov. 20, at 4:30 p.m., at which time the COVID-19 case load will be reassessed and a determination of service availability for the following week made.

ACPH will be closed to most walk-in services. Previously scheduled immunization, reproductive health and WIC clinic appointments will be held. The public is advised to call before going to the health department, 419-228-4457, to ensure what services and alternatives are available.

 “ACPH needs to focus all of our attention on our basic public health duty of case investigation,” said Health Commissioner Kathy Luhn, “it is crucial to slowing the spread of COVID-19.”

Case investigation and contact tracing is the process of notifying patients of the need to self-isolate, and alerting their close contacts of the need to quarantine after their exposure.

ACPH has added additional part-time and temporary staff and utilized additional state resources to provide case investigation since the beginning of the pandemic, but the current surge in cases has placed a substantial burden on all of those resources.

Additionally, Commissioner Luhn stresses, “With the amount of community spread of COVID-19 happening right now, ACPH needs everyone to be proactive regarding isolation and quarantine – don’t wait for the health department to contact you. 

If you’ve tested positive, have symptoms, or think you’ve been in contact with a positive case, begin isolation and quarantine actions immediately. The virus travels from person to person, and the only way the pandemic will end is to limit our contact with other people.”