Medical Minute: State of COVID

The warmer months are here. That means a chance to get outside a bit more, to go to sporting events, concerts, vacations.  While all of that brings hope, and excitement, COVID-19 is still here and people are still getting sick.

“The seven day moving average for the state of Ohio has 1600 new cases a day,” Joe Gastaldo, MD, OhioHealth medical director of infectious diseases said.  “That is up about 60 percent from where we were 14 days ago.”

But it is not all doom and gloom. While numbers are ticking up, the cases haven't put the strain on the hospital systems as we've seen during some of the heaviest of surges.

“During Omicron, we were averaging 20,000 new cases a day,” Dr. Gastaldo said.  “That isn't the case currently.  While community cases are up in Ohio, and in other states, the stress on the hospital system isn't what it was.”

Dr. Gastaldo says as people start to get together again, they need to have a plan.  “If you get COVID-19, where are you going to get a test, and if you  have an at-risk condition, what is your plan to get access to the FDA approved treatments,” Dr. Gastaldo said.

That includes keeping up to date on vaccines, and knowing where you can get access to items like antiviral pills.

“These pills are designed to keep people out of the hospital with COVID-19. In the past, these pills were hard to come by.  Now, they are available at many pharmacies around the country,” Dr. Gastaldo said.

To see where pills are available, and to get all the information you need regarding the virus, log onto COVID.GOV.