Montgomery County upgrades to high COVID-19 community level; Second area county to do so this week

MONTGOMERY COUNTY — An upward trend in both COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations is leading health officials in Montgomery County to upgrade it’s COVID-19 community level.

On Friday, Public Health-Dayton & Montgomery County announced that the county upgraded to a high level in its COVID-19 Community Level Framework.

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The two-week incident case rate increased from 436.3 per 100,000 last week to 498.4 per 100,000 this week, according to a release. This time last year, the two-week incident rate was 57.2 per 100,000.

“As we move through the various phases of this pandemic it is important for us to make adjustments to the precautions that we take,” Jennifer Wentzel, Montgomery County Health Commissioner, said.

When a county is designated at a high level in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s framework, the following actions are recommended:

• Wear a mask indoors in public regardless of vaccination status
• Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines
• Get tested if you have symptoms
• Additional precautions may be needed for people at high risk for severe illness

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Earlier this week, Greene County health officials upgraded to a high COVID-19 transmission risk level. The number of new COVID-19 admissions and the percent of staffed inpatient beds that are occupied led health officials to determine there was a “potential for strain on the health system.”

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