At least one case of the Delta variant, a more contagious and deadly strain of the original COVID-19, has been found in the county, and there likely are more, she said. Current vaccinations are showing good protection against that variant, and she encouraged people to get vaccinated.
One case of the delta variant was detected in the county, but only 49 specimens were tested, so, “If there’s one, there are likely many more,” Bailer said.
The past two weeks, Butler County has seen 17.5 new cases per 100,000 residents, down from 22 per 100,000 the prior two weeks, Bailer said. Gov. Mike DeWine weeks ago set the goal of having fewer than 50 cases per 100,000 in a two-week period.
According to Ohio Department of Health data, some of Butler County’s ZIP codes in recent weeks have had some of the state’s higher rates of the virus, including 45050 (Monroe) 45055 (Franklin and Carlisle) and 45015 (Hamilton’s Lindenwald neighborhood and areas to the east of there).
According to state data, five Butler County residents have died from the pandemic since June 1, for a total of 612 since the pandemic began.
The county’s health department recently posted a statement on its website about national reports that Butler County was a hot spot. That statement read:
“According to the Butler County General Health District Epidemiology Report, the number of COVID-19 cases within Butler County appears to have increased on July 2. Without context about how the data are reported, the increase could give the public the perception that cases are increasing in Butler County, when in fact they are not.”
The statement added: “The increase in total number of cases is the result of late entry by a lab of information about ‘old’ cases (cased that occurred several months ago). These cases are not new cases. All the ‘old’ cases were previously contacted by our contact tracers and given instructions.”
According to information posted by the Ohio Department of Health, ZIP code 45005, including Franklin and Carlisle, had 37 new coronavirus cases in the past two weeks, a rate of 117.9 per 100,000 population. The ZIP code 45050, which takes in Monroe, had 10 new cases in the past two weeks, a rate of 114 people. ZIP code 45015, including Lindenwald and areas to the east, had nine new cases, a rate of 76.8 per 100,000 people.
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