Lorain County Updates

Lorain County reported 268 cases and 13 hospitalizations in the period from April 2 to April 8. In comparison, two weeks ago there were 248 cases for the period between March 25 and April 1. Given that cases rose for much of March, health officials continue to urge caution despite expanding vaccination numbers. 

As of April 8, 34.56 percent of the county’s population has received at least one dose of the vaccine. 

Lorain County remains classified by the Ohio Department of Health at “Red Alert Level Three” 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. Lorain County must meet three benchmarks to move to a lower alert level: lower per capita case levels, lower community spread outside of congregate settings, and a lower seven-day average of cases.

Statewide Updates

ODH reported 8,268 new statewide COVID-19 cases and 332 hospitalizations in the last week.

In February, Governor Mike DeWine announced that when Ohio reaches 50 cases per 100,000 people in a two-week period, he will lift all COVID-19-related health orders. However, COVID-19 cases are rising in most states — Ohio included. This week Ohio has 183.7 cases per 100,000 people, up from 166.7 last week.

Ohio consolidated 18 of its public health orders into one this week. Masking and social distancing are still required. The Ohio Legislature recently passed a bill that will allow lawmakers to reject and make changes to any public health measures put in place by DeWine. The bill will go into effect in June.

As of April 8, about 33.48 percent of Ohio residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Last 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 511 tests administered. 

Oberlin will hold a vaccination clinic throughout this weekend. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is available to students, faculty, and staff and the clinic will take place in Hales Gymnasium. 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 April 8, the College is aware of 53 uploaded vaccine cards from students and 95 from faculty and staff. Additionally, the College has had approximately 528 students sign up for the vaccination clinic this weekend. 

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