As coronavirus cases spike, the unvaccinated are most at risk of severe illness

WOOSTER – COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Northeast Ohio two weeks after families and friends gathered for Thanksgiving.

Now, area hospitals are becoming full or worse as more people are hospitalized with the virus.

Wooster Community Hospital reported 33 COVID-positive patients as of Wednesday.

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"We are definitely seeing a spike in COVID cases and we are full, but I would not say as of yet that we are overwhelmed," said Shelly Huff, vice president of patient services and the chief nursing officer at the hospital. "We're kind of at that tipping point where if we get much more we might be, but we aren't hit as bad as other places."

Of the 33 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 at the Wooster facility, five are vaccinated. All 28 unvaccinated individuals are in intensive care with serious symptoms while the vaccinated patients experience mild symptoms, she said.

The situation is the same at Ashland County's University Hospital Samaritan, Communication Director Kathy Witmer said.

"It's similar to what (we're) seeing across Northeast Ohio," Witmer said. "It's the same surge in COVID that all health care systems are feeling."

COVID-19 cases up in Wayne, Ashland and Holmes

With the holiday season now in full swing, this new wave of COVID-19 highlights the lack of vaccinations in the region, where the most severe cases are most often found in unvaccinated individuals.

Wayne County's case count increased by 32% as of Wednesday, Dec. 8, to 482 new cases in the previous seven-day period, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is up from 386 cases on Nov. 27.

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Ashland County followed suit with a 40% increase to 209 novel coronavirus cases, while Holmes County is up to 105 cases, a 64% change from Dec. 8, according to the CDC.

As cases rise, vaccination rates remain low in all three counties despite repeated warnings from health officials that unvaccinated individuals are more likely to die or experience worse COVID-19 symptoms.

Nearly 42% of the eligible population in Wayne County is vaccinated while Ashland is at 40%. Holmes County has the lowest vaccination rate in the region at 17%, according to the CDC website.

Another COVID wave with fewer staff

As more COVID-19 cases are admitted, hospitals warn that emergency room times will become longer as facilities operate short-staffed.

This is true in the Northeast Ohio Aultman Hospital system, which became overwhelmed in recent days, and Aultman Orrville is no different.

"We are still caring for patients as they come in, but wait times will likely be longer than usual due to high capacity," said Missi Steepleton, executive director, marketing, communications and retail. "During these times of influx, we continue to coordinate bed capacity with other local and regional health systems."

As of Wednesday, Dec. 9, there were 114 COVID-positive patients throughout the Aultman medical system, 85% of whom are unvaccinated, Steepleton said.

"The vaccine mandate does not affect the current situation, as it is not being enforced while we await further guidance based on court decisions," she said. "However, workforce challenges continue to affect this situation across the region and the nation."

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The Mansfield News Journal reported there were 66 COVID-19 positive hospitalizations in OhioHealth hospitals and emergency departments in Ashland and Richland counties.

"We are caring for more COVID-19 patients now than we have in the last three months, which includes the COVID-19 surge in September," said Christina Thompson, media relations and communications manager for OhioHealth Mansfield and Shelby hospitals. "Our highest surge level, due to COVID-19, was in December 2020."

Chief Executive Officer Jason Justus of Holmes County's Pomerene Hospital said Ohio experienced its greatest number of hospitalizations in one day on Tuesday, as did the county.

Pomerene facilities are experiencing 30% to 40% higher COVID-19 infection rates in patients being tested, Justus said.

"We're seeing increases in hospitalizations of COVID and non-COVID related patients, and we are operating sometimes at 115% to 120% capacity," Justus said. "But I cannot reiterate enough the significant luxury Pomerene has from being staffed with some of the best people that I have ever experienced."

Justus noted that Holmes County has a history of low unemployment, which leaves a smaller field of potential employees to fill the void.

"We're down about 11% of staff, or about 90% of what we should be and what we work toward," Justus said. "We are pursuing all measures to recruit individuals of expertise and talent to Holmes County to care for our community. It is a daily challenge to meet the staffing needs."

New therapy clinic in Holmes County

Pomerene was to unveil an antibody therapy clinic on Friday, joining the likes of Wooster Community Hospital where the COVID-19 treatment is also used.

"This is a medical treatment that is delivered via an IV," Justus explained. "We have been doing this in our ED (emergency department) for several weeks, but based on the fact that these new therapies have a very high success rate in helping minimize the symptoms of somebody who might be ill from COVID, it minimizes and reduces hospitalizations and COVID-related deaths.

The clinic will be open Tuesday to Friday from noon to 6 p.m. He said these times will change to match the demand.

"We see this as an extremely important opportunity to serve the community and it is a very, very valuable resource that will help many individuals, especially those who might be older," Justus said.

Uptick in COVID-19 cases at area schools

As COVID cases surge throughout the tri-county area, some schools have seen an increase too.

Wooster City and Ashland City school districts each reported 20 COVID cases across their districts, according to data from the districts' COVID dashboards.

Triway Local Schools aren’t far behind with 15 cases as of Dec. 8, according to the district's COVID dashboard.

The two Holmes County school districts have seen an increase in COVID cases, but no major spike.

At West Holmes, there were 12 total cases between staff and students, according to the district’s COVID update page.

"We have not seen an uptick since Thanksgiving," West Holmes Superintendent Eric Jurkovic said. "As far as quarantining students, we have not seen a rise."

He attributes this to the governor's decision that gave students the option to wear a mask for 14 days if they were in close contact with a COVID-positive student.

"Our attendance rate data with the number of students absent is consistent with the past five years," Jurkovic added. "The state of the health of the district is okay."

East Holmes Superintendent Erik Beun said his district experienced an increase in cases the week after Thanksgiving, but schools have returned to normal this past week.

"We have been able to work effectively in areas where we might be shorter on staff than normal," Beun said. "This is due in large part to current staff helping to make things work."

Districts such as Orrville, Dalton, Norwayne, Hillsdale and Mapleton have reported fewer than 10 cases throughout their schools in recent weeks.

How to stay healthy

To stay healthy during this newest wave of the pandemic, experts like Wooster Community's Huff urge everyone to get the COVID-19 vaccine and booster.

Anyone ages 5 and older can receive the vaccine at local pharmacies or via the county health department. Appointments can be scheduled online at the Ohio Department of Health website.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the CDC encourages everyone to wear masks and socially distance when possible.

If someone suspects they might be sick or were exposed to someone who tested positive for the virus, they should get a COVID-19 test and quarantine, according to the CDC website.

Staff writers Rachel Karas (The Daily Record) and Grant Ritchey (Ashland Times-Gazette) contributed to this report.

Reach Bryce by email at bbuyakie@gannett.com

On Twitter: @Bryce_Buyakie

Reach Kevin at klynch@the-daily-record.com

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: COVID-19 cases spike in holiday wave, unvaccinated most at risk