There were 42 deaths in the last three weeks of December, including a record of 18 for the week ending Dec. 19. The county had averaged about 4.4 deaths per week in the first 39 weeks of the pandemic.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
Weekly hospitalizations also set a record in the county in the week ending Dec. 19, with 49. But both hospitalizations (13) and deaths (2) dropped in the week ending Jan. 16.
Most of the Butler County residents who contracted the virus are 59 years and younger. The virus has been more fatal for those county residents 60 years and over who contract the virus. Of the 630-plus residents who were hospitalized, nearly a third died, according to the state.
Most of the deaths in Butler County were in the Hamilton and Fairfield areas, according to Butler County’s Jan. 16 epidemiology report released this week. The 45011 and 45013 ZIP codes, which mostly cover the city of Hamilton, and the 45014 ZIP code, which mostly covers Fairfield, have seen nearly 130 people die from COVID-19 complications.
The 45044 ZIP code, which mostly covers Middletown and Liberty Twp. have seen nearly 40 people die from virus complications, according to the report.
In the first two full weeks of 2021, there have been three confirmed COVID-19-related deaths and 35 hospitalizations out of 3,327 reported cases in the county, according to the report.
New hospitalizations in Butler County, as well as the seven-day rolling average, have trended down since right before the new year, according to the county health department report. But the report indicated a slight uptick in those data sets.
While local health officials aren’t saying if the virus has peaked, nationally, some health officials are.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
“Yes, we have peaked in terms of cases. We are coming down, slowly. This is very good news — very good news,” Ali Mokdad, of the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, told NPR this week.
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health epidemiologist Caitlin Rivers also told NPR, “We are headed to a better place.”
Butler County and local officials are focused on pooling resources to make sure the vaccine is made available to everyone.
“As a county, we are mustering all available resources and partnerships, including both public and private, to get the vaccine to our community as quick as possible,” said Butler County EMA Director Matt Haverkos. “This effort is utilizing a whole community approach, uniting cities and townships to fight COVID-19 with the best tool available: the vaccine.”
There are two vaccines authorized for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and both are two-dose shots. Those taking the Pfizer vaccine will have a second shot 21 days after the first, and those taking the Moderna vaccine will get their second shot 28 days later.
FACTS & FIGURES
Here is how the virus has impacted Butler County, according to Ohio Department of Health and Butler County General Health District data:
- Butler County has had nearly 31,000 COVID-19 cases since March.
- Nearly 1,000 Butler County residents have been hospitalized and more than 230 have died.
- Most of the Butler County residents who contracted the virus are 59 years and younger
- Most of the Butler County residents who died from complications of the virus are 60 and older.
- Nearly a third of the Butler County residents 60 and older who contracted the virus, died from complications.
Sources: Ohio Department of Health, Butler County General Health District
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