LIMA — October was the worst month of the pandemic thus far, ushering in the largest wave of new coronavirus infections and hospitalizations Allen County and the surrounding region has recorded to date.
But for many, life carried on as normal: Bars and restaurants remained open, and fatigue has set in among even the most careful residents who want to regain a sense of normalcy in their lives eight months into the pandemic.
Today’s response stands in stark contrast to the pre-emptive school closures and restrictions on non-essential business activity Gov. Mike DeWine ordered in March, when there were few known coronavirus infections in this region.
Now, Allen, Auglaize and Putnam counties frequently top the list of counties with the highest number of new coronavirus infections per capita, a trend which caught the attention of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in late October. The county had 968 new cases reported in October, meaning 38 percent of the county’s cases happened in the past 31 days.
“Our story behind these numbers is we have a community that wants to get back to normal,” said Kathy Luhn, Allen County’s public health commissioner. “We all want that. We’ve got businesses that are open, children are in school. It is so hard not to do those things that go with that: getting family together, having kids over for a party or sleepover.
“When we’re at work, you want to be with your coworkers and sit with them in the break room. But we have to do things differently. These kinds of stories are the stories that CDC said they’re hearing.”
The situation has deteriorated quickly.
Allen County Public Health, which recorded 323 new COVID-19 cases in September, is now tracking so many cases that it has started asking people who test positive to notify their close contacts immediately, as the health department’s contact tracers may not be able to notify and ask those individuals to quarantine in a timely manner.
Lima hospitals last week warned they are seeing many more COVID-19 patients than at any other time during the pandemic, which is already straining resources as the hospitals get ready for flu season.
The trend will likely continue, as cooler weather pushes events indoors and families prepare to gather for the holidays.
DeWine’s pleading with the public has grown more urgent, as he is now calling on Ohioans to cancel gatherings of any size — even small get-togethers with friends or extended family. The governor has yet to impose any new restrictions on gatherings or business activity.
“Because the virus spreads through respiratory droplets or small particles,” said Dr. Maria Gallo, a professor of epidemiology and interim chair of The Ohio State University’s College of Public Health, “you can become infected by having physical contact with an infected person or simply by being near an infected person because they’re breathing.”
The longer you are near an infected person, Gallo said, the higher your risk of becoming infected. Those risks increase when you’re indoors or near an infected person who is not wearing their mask properly, she said. There’s now increasing evidence that the respiratory droplets or small particles from an infected person can remain suspended in the air indoors and travel further than 6 feet, Gallo said, which makes activities like indoor dining, choir practice and exercising at the gym risky even when people stay 6 feet apart.
“Allowing the virus to spread in the general population means that we would be allowing people to unnecessarily get sick and risk long-term health problems and possibly die,” Gallo said. “This would be unconscionable.”
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