MEDINA, Ohio — Medina County has dropped from a Level 3 – Red Alert down to a Level 2 – Orange Alert, according to the Medina County Health Department regarding the Public Health Advisory Alert System the state has enacted to monitor the spread of COVID-19.
While the alert level may have gone down, health officials don’t want residents to think that coronavirus has stopped spreading. Community spread and exposure still remain an issue in the county.
“The move from red to orange in the Ohio Public Health Advisory System is a step in the right direction for Medina County but we still have a long way to go,” said Medina County Health Commissioner Krista Wasowski. “Everyone is aware of the need to be cautious when they are ill, but we are finding that many cases are now coming from spread during the infectious period before an individual starts showing symptoms.”
According to health officials, once someone contracts the virus, it usually takes between four to six days to show symptoms, but the infected person is still contagious before their symptoms arise.
Health experts have said that some people who have contracted the virus may be contagious but asymptomatic.
“No one is intentionally getting one another ill, but the nature of how COVID-19 spreads is why avoiding certain situations and alerting public health officials of anyone you may have come into contact with during an infectious period is so important,” Wasowski said. “Especially with schools and sports starting back up, we are asking all residents to be mindful of when and how they are interacting in the public so we can safely return to normal activities.”
To combat the spread of the virus, the health department is advising the following:
- Wear a mask
- Conduct a daily health/symptom self-evaluation and stay home if you are sick, even with mild symptoms
- Maintain social distancing of at least six feet from non-household members
- Decrease in-person interactions with others and avoid contact with anyone considered high-risk
- Consider necessary travel only
- Follow good hygiene standards
- Wash hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
- Use hand sanitizer frequently
- Avoid touching your face
- Cover coughs and sneezes
- Seek medical care as needed, but limit or avoid unnecessary visits as much as possible
RELATED: Ohio creates color-coded public health alert system to monitor COVID-19 spread across each county
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Click here for a page with resources including a COVID-19 overview from the CDC, details on cases in Ohio, a timeline of Governor Mike DeWine's orders since the outbreak, coronavirus' impact on Northeast Ohio, and link to more information from the Ohio Department of Health, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, the CDC and the WHO.
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The CDC and the Ohio Department of Health are now recommending the use of cloth face coverings in public to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Read more about the CDC's recommendation here. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to make a face maskfrom common household materials, without having to know how to sew.
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