By 1808Delaware
On Thursday, the State of Ohio elevated Delaware County to a Level 3, otherwise referred to as a “Red” level on the state’s Public Health Advisory system. It is currently one of nine counties at that level.
Such an elevation comes when a given number of indicators are present related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In social media posts, the Delaware General Health District immediately responded to the State of Ohio’s move. At 2:15 PM, it shared the following Twitter post:
Do not be discouraged, Delaware County! Although we went🔴today, our real-time data does not support this transition. Delaware County was deemed red based on data pulled Sept. 7-14. Current data from this week shows our #'s are improving — so please keep doing your part! pic.twitter.com/nBcpcmqAOr
— Delaware Public Health District (@DelawareHealth) September 24, 2020
On Facebook, that post quickly drew 181 comments, many of which took issue with such a designation at the same time that numbers may actually be decreasing. That evening, the District made a second post which provided some additional clarification:
https://www.facebook.com/DelawareHealth/posts/3380569312010668
On Friday, updated COVID numbers from the District showed a current count of 158 active cases, down from 186 the previous Monday and 216 active cases the previous Friday.
On the other hand, as 1808Delaware covered on Saturday, this week saw a large 43 reported case increase in student and staff COVID cases in Delaware County schools. It is unknown whether or not those numbers are reflected in the DGHS’s statistics, as a question to that effect on Facebook had not been responded to.
It is entirely likely that additional clarity on the trajectory of Delaware County cases will come as current numbers are announced this week.
