Spike in COVID cases leads Montgomery County health experts to raise caution

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — A recent spike in COVID cases nationally and locally has doctors, health officials and Montgomery County residents worried.

Health professionals said they’ve seen an increase in hospital cases related to COVID. That shows only part of the picture however as people being able to test from home means the number of total positive cases is even higher.

“We’ve gone up, I’d say, over the last month or so,” said Dr. Jeffrey Weinstein, a patient safety officer with Kettering Health. “We’ve had a slow but steady increase in the number of COVID patients.”

Montgomery County Public Health officials said the trend is happening throughout the entire area.

“[Hospitalized] cases are what we’re tracking now, because those are the most serious cases,” said Montgomery County Public Health’s Dan Suffoletto. “So, much like the flu, where we have some mild cases and those aren’t tracked, the more serious cases, those are tracked.”

It’s put county residents on edge.

If people are coughing, I’m a little bit more like cognizant of where I am relative to them,” said Kia Nalls, who lives in Montgomery County. “I’m actually considered purchasing some more mask.”

How to protect yourself from COVID and other viruses

To prevent yourself from getting a mild COVID case or any of the new variants of the virus, officials are urging people to resume or continue the same practices used at the height of the pandemic:

• Social distancing when needed
• Avoiding overly crowded areas
• Using your arm sleeve to cough or sneeze in to
• Frequent sanitizing
• Staying home when you feel sick

They said the most effective step you can take to protect yourself is to stay up to date on your vaccinations. Kettering Health’s Weinstein reminded that vaccines received in late 2020 or 2021 are not very effective in preventing infection from more recent strains.

As we approach flu season, it isn’t clear what pattern COVID will take going into the colder months.

“It’s hard to predict,” said Weinstein. “It’s possible that it’s going to go back down and then go back up again as we get into December, when we normally see influenza and the other respiratory viruses.”

A new vaccine, tailored to combat new variations of the COVID virus, is expected to arrive in September.

In the meantime, as residents try to stay safe, they are hoping for a permanent solution.

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