Montgomery, Butler counties move to top 10 list for COVID-19 occurrence as universities return

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine released new data Tuesday showing Montgomery and Butler counties moving into the top 10 counties in the state for the highest occurrence of COVID-19. The move comes after days of the list containing primarily rural counties in the state.

The data comes as two major universities in those two counties have reported an outbreak of cases involving students on its campuses.

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At the University of Dayton, officials moved to remote learning the day before classes started on campus last week. As of Monday evening, the university reported 771 active cases, with 55 of those being reported yesterday.

At Miami University in Oxford, 527 students have tested positive for the virus since Aug. 21, however 249 of those cases were reported by officials on Monday. Miami opted to started classes remotely on Aug. 17, however planned to move to a hybrid and in-person model on Sept. 21. A phased in move into residence halls is currently expected to begin Sept. 14, according to a letter from the university sent Monday.

“This is a very critical week. It is vital for us in Oxford to achieve a downward trend in positive cases in our off-campus community before our planned in-person start,” Miami President Gregory Crawford said. “During the past few days, we and many other universities are seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases, particularly for students living off-campus, which must be reduced.”

According to state data, Montgomery County has reported about 171 cases per 100,000 residents over the last 13 days. Butler County is reporting 173 cases per 100,000 residents over the last 13 days.

Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County spokesman Dan Suffoletto said some, but not all, of the UD cases are counted as cases for Montgomery County.

First-year students and freshmen on campus that test positive have their results included in their permanent residence county, while returning students to campus have their positive test results reported as part of Montgomery County’s count, Suffoletto said. Commuter students also have their test results reported to the county of their permanent residence.

Cox Media Group