Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department sees increase in COVID cases

MUSKINGUM COUNTY, Ohio- The Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department saw an increase in COVID-19 cases in Muskingum County last month. 

The delta variant has made its way to Ohio and may be the reason for the increase in COVID cases and hospitalizations in the county. 

“Nationally across the United States, we’re estimating that about 98 percent of the hospitalizations now for COVID are related to the delta variant. We don’t have any way to calculate those numbers locally because the Ohio Department of Health is not calculating those numbers locally and sharing them with us,” Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department Health Commissioner Corey Hamilton said.

The number of active COVID cases increased every week except one week in July. The last two weeks of July, the health department saw a rapid increase in positive cases. Muskingum County was moved from a moderate level of transmission to a substantial transmission over the weekend. 

“During the month of July, on July 1 we started with nine active cases of COVID. On July 31, we had 60 active cases of COVID. During that time our hospitalizations rose from one to three to more like four to seven,” Hamilton said.

The Health Department encourages individuals to get vaccinated. The vaccination is still effective towards the delta variant of COVID. Hamilton said the department has noticed that the individuals who are infected with COVID right now are predominantly unvaccinated and under the age of 60.

The Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department is offering vaccinations by appointment and walk-in.