Lorain County Updates

After weeks of hopeful news about declining COVID-19 caseloads, cases in Lorain County are on the rise once again. From March 25 to April 1, the county reported 248 cases and 17 hospitalizations. In comparison, two weeks ago there were 146 cases for the period between March 12 and 18. The rising caseload has public health officials urging residents to get vaccinated as soon as possible. 

As of April 1, 95,723 people in Lorain County, or about 30.9 percent of the county’s population, have received at least one dose of the vaccine. 

Lorain County remains classified by the Ohio Department of Health at “Red Alert Level 3 Public Emergency” on a public emergency scale of four for “very high exposure and spread.” Level Three counties are advised to limit activities as much as possible. Like in previous weeks, Lorain County must continue to lower per capita case levels and minimize community spread outside of congregate settings to move to a lower alert status. Additionally, Lorain County was recently flagged for an increasing seven-day average of COVID-19 cases and must work to reverse this trend.  

Statewide Updates

ODH reported 7,982 new statewide COVID-19 cases and 285 hospitalizations in the last week.

In February, Governor Mike DeWine announced that when Ohio reaches 50 cases per 100,000 people for a two-week period, he will lift all COVID-19-related health orders. However, COVID-19 cases are rising in most states, Ohio included. After weeks of declining caseloads Ohio has 166.7 cases per 100,000, up from 146.9 last week.

On Wednesday, DeWine told Ohioans that he is concerned that the state is entering into a fourth wave of the virus. Michigan is currently facing a surge in COVID-19 cases that has alarmed health experts. Meanwhile, a factory mix-up ruined a future shipment of up to 15 million Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Ohio officials have stated that they are still assessing how this error might impact the state’s vaccine rollout. 

As of April 1, about 29.74 percent of Ohio residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Earlier this week, all Ohio residents ages 16 and older became eligible to receive a vaccination. To learn more about vaccinations and sign up for an appointment, residents can use Ohio’s vaccination tool.  

More information on COVID-19 in Ohio is available through the ODH and LCPH websites, where case numbers are updated every weekday at 2 p.m.

Oberlin College Updates

This week, the College once again recorded zero new COVID-19 cases out of the 475 tests administered. Last week, Oberlin had its first case in over a month.

Oberlin anticipates receiving doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the next few weeks. Students should fill out this survey so the school can request the correct number of doses from the state.  

Many students and faculty also received their first COVID-19 vaccination this week. The College asks that students submit documentation of vaccination to their Student Health Portal. Faculty and staff should submit their documentation to Human Resources. 

As of March 31, the school is aware of nine uploaded vaccine cards from students and 54 from faculty and staff. Additionally, the school has had approximately 325 students submit a travel request form to leave campus to get vaccinated between March 18 and March 29. 

Students who have vaccine appointments outside of Lorain and Cuyahoga Counties should submit a Temporary Travel Approval Form to the College, but they will not be required to quarantine or undergo additional testing.