Now that the pandemic has extended nearly two years, local public health officials are confident infection rates will increase significantly during the next two months because of holiday gatherings, lower-than-expected vaccination percentages, and public confidence in survival.
The Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department reported 122 new positive cases of Covid-19 from tests conducted last week, and the state Department of Health and Human Resources released that more than 3,000 new cases have been recorded since the Thanksgiving holiday.
Lou Vargo, director of the Wheeling-Ohio County Emergency Management Agency, said he expects the statistics to increase throughout the Upper Ohio Valley.
“We figured people were going to take the risks during the Thanksgiving weekend, and that’s why everyone in Ohio County concentrated on educating our residents as much as we could before it,” he admitted. “I have a personal horror story now because a friend of mine who just lost his 29-year-old son because the son said that he was healthy and he was going to risk it. And my friend lost his son to Covid.
“This virus is very different than anything we’ve ever seen because of the differences involved with how it affects one person as opposed to another,” Vargo explained. “Plus, this virus is mutating very quickly, and it’s mutating into a virus that is a lot stronger than what we saw in the beginning. This is some pretty scary stuff.”
Repeat and Repeat Again
Masks. Distancing. Disinfectant.
Again and again, that has been the advice offered by officials of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention as well as the DHHR. Patience, however, has waned despite the existence of the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
“I believe as we continue into this holiday season we remember what we have been told from the beginning, and that involves the masks, the distancing, and the handwashing. But, now that vaccines are part of the equation now, I encourage people to get vaccinated, and if it’s six months since your second shot, go get your booster,” Vargo said. “Based on the numbers we have seen the past few weeks, we can tell that the virus is still out there; it’s still making people very sicks, and in some cases, unfortunately, it’s still playing a part in too many deaths.
“We have been talking about how to keep ourselves safe for almost two years now, but after being very limited as far as what we could do safely last holiday season, I know folks are going to go about the holidays the way they did before the virus,” he predicted. “I believe that will result in some pretty high numbers of positive cases not only in Ohio County but across the country.”
Because the population of the Upper Ohio Valley has decreased for several decades, both East Ohio and the Northern Panhandle are popular destinations for natives returning home to visit relatives. That fact, though, allows Vargo to believe the reunions will factor into future numbers.
“Even people who are vaccinated can contract and spread the virus because they don’t feel the symptoms because of the vaccines, but that goes for people who are asymptomatic, too, and that component has been part of this situation from the very beginning,” the EMA director said. “But a lot of people who moved away always come home to the Wheeling during the holidays, and I’m sure that’s going to be the case this year since everything has been opened up.
“I know a lot of things involved with this pandemic have become political. and that’s been one of the biggest negatives because people have suffered because of it. I really hope people have a great time during the holidays, but I hope people realize we still have a global pandemic going on,” he said. “At the beginning of the year, we had hoped the numbers wouldn’t be as high as they are because of the vaccines, but they are right now.”
Truth versus Conspiracy
“RELEASE THE OMICRON” has been a popular post on social media platforms since the new variant was introduced to the public late last week. The post, however, is meant to be sarcastic because many Americans continue to refuse to believe the coronavirus is as dangerous as publicized.
“I guess I could understand it in the beginning because no one has lived through anything like this before,” Vargo said. “But the fact we’re still seeing people get very, very sick, and the fact we’re still seeing people pass away should allow people to realize how real this is.”
The percentage of Ohio County residents who are fully vaccinated is, according to today’s DHHR dashboard, is 65 percent, but the percentage in Marshall County is only 47.3. Overall, only 58 percent of Mountain State residents have been vaccinated despite daily efforts made by Gov. Jim Justice.
“I know a lot of people are tired of hearing about the vaccines, so all I can suggest now is for people to get accurate information when they are considering it instead of going off the misinformation about them,” Vargo said. “People still tell me they don’t want the tracking chip in their bodies, but if they really understood how impossible that is, maybe they would go for their shots.
“And, if it’s been six months since your second shot, go get your booster,” he insisted. “We have seen people get sick with Covid because they were due for the third shot, but nothing as bad as we’ve seen from someone who is completely unvaccinated. The vast majority of people who have been hospitalized the past few months are the ones who have refused to get their doses.”
The third dose of vaccine currently is referred to as a “booster,” but will the shots become as common as the annual flu shot? In other words, is this coronavirus pandemic permanent?
“I have been asked if we are going to need a booster every six months, and I don’t know that answer yet because it will depend on the percent of people who get vaccinated,” Vargo explained. “Herd immunity is something we’ve heard about for a long time now, but we’re nowhere close to that here in Ohio County or across the country. Some believe it’s impossible until everyone in the world is vaccinated and we know how big of a challenge that has been.
“So, what that means is people just have to be cautious,” he repeated. “And this new variant, Omicron, is something else to consider because we haven’t learned a lot about it yet.”
