COVID is surging again

Here’s how guidelines have been updated

The coronavirus is here to stay, and case numbers have been rising in Ohio this summer, but how health organizations and everyday citizens handle it is everchanging.

Federal and state entities significantly relaxed COVID-19 warnings in 2024, marking the first major changes made to COVID-19 guidelines since 2021, grouping best practices for the virus in with other respiratory illnesses like the flu.

But COVID-19 still differs from those other respiratory illnesses, as it doesn’t follow a seasonal pattern. New variants are still being discovered and studied since the virus’ inception.

The Ohio Department of Health still regards COVID-19 as a “very real threat,” a department spokesperson reported in a statement to The Columbus Dispatch.

How do we know how many cases there are?

Health providers such as a primary care, urgent care or emergency room physician, hospitals and laboratories are still required to report cases of COVID-19 to the state’s health department, including deaths and hospitalizations.

That data is publicly available and updated weekly.

Individuals who are self-testing and are not seeking care outside of their home are not mandated to report their infection to any particular entity, though employers are allowed to ask an employee to do so.

At-home COVID tests can still be found at pharmacies like Walgreens and CVS and online, but you must pay for them now as the free ones from the federal government are done.

What are the latest COVID-19 guidelines?

The Ohio Department of Health complies with best practices outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a spokesperson said.

The new variants of COVID-19 have generally presented fewer life-threatening symptoms, and there is “no evidence” that any of the new variants have increased deaths or hospitalizations, the department said.

Those infected should take steps like staying away from others,

practicing good hygiene like regular handwashing and opening doors or windows to let cleaner air into enclosed spaces; the same guidance as other respiratory illnesses.

The department emphasized that vaccination “remains the best way to prevent severe illness from COVID.”

The CDC recommends those 6 months or older receive the latest form of the COVID shot from September 2023.

Anyone 65 or older who received the updated shot should receive another dose, as long as at least four months have passed since the initial dose of the updated shot.