COVID-19 Vaccinations Increasing, But Cuyahoga County Not In The Clear Yet

While COVID-19 cases statewide look better than they did during the peak this winter, Cuyahoga County is still at the Ohio Department of Health’s Risk Level 3, which means community spread is still high.

There’s also still a long way to go before the statewide coronavirus mandates are lifted. Gov. Mike DeWine has said when the state reaches 50 cases for every 100,000 people, he’ll lift all statewide health orders, like the mask mandate.

But as of Friday, Cuyahoga County is reporting 167 cases for every 100,000 people, considerably higher than the state’s average of 147 cases per 100,000, and a positivity rate of 4.5 percent.

“We still have a high level of infection within the community,” said Jana Rush, the county’s director of epidemiology, surveillance, and informatics, during the county’s briefing.  

Although DeWine has his benchmark for lifting the health orders, that change may come sooner due after state lawmakers this week overrode the governor’s veto on a bill that puts more power over health orders in the hands of the legislature.

Cuyahoga County Health Commissioner Terry Allan expressed concern about the veto override and the possible public health risks if the orders are lifted too soon.

“We know that isolation and quarantine are the major tenants for public health prevention,” he said. “These are critical tools to stop the spread of a virus in the community and save lives and prevent hospitalizations, so taking away these tools are akin to taking a firehose away from a firefighter.”

The law, which will take effect in 90 days, will let lawmakers reject or modify health orders and let the legislature extend or end states of emergencies.

Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish also expressed his disapproval of the measure.

“I feel strongly that the health orders issued by Gov. DeWine, his health department, and our local board of health… were critical to slow the spread of the virus, to keep people healthy, and to save lives,” Budish said. “I am very concerned that this legislation, passed for political reasons, puts all of us at risk during this and future emergencies.”

COVID-19 case numbers remain somewhat stagnant, but Budish and Cuyahoga County public health officials want to see more people of color in the county getting vaccinated.

Budish said the county is working with more than 300 community partners, like the Urban League, NAACP, Global Cleveland and more.

“These partners are helping to register residents for additional slots set aside just for underserved residents,” he said. “Their efforts and dedication are invaluable and they're instrumental in increasing the number of minority residents who get the shot.

Rush and Allan credited outreach efforts through the Wolstein Center mass vaccination clinic downtown and community partners bringing information and vaccine to minority communities.

Rush said the county’s Black-white inequity ratio remains concerning, with Blacks still two-and-a-half times more likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19 than whites, though progress is being made.

“Our reach within the African-American community population has grown over the past month,” Rush said. “We’ve added an additional 7 percent of the population that we’ve reached in the African-American community, so we are making strides and progress in order to reach minority and underserved communities.

Budish said the current vaccination rate has him optimistic for the summer, as life and commerce in Northeast Ohio inches back toward “normal,” but warned there’s likely more pain ahead.

“We also need to be realistic,” Budish said. “Our economy is far from recovered.”

ideastream’s Glenn Forbes contributed to this report.