COLUMBUS – The Ohio Department of Health has released updated COVID-19 prevention guidelines for campers and operators of sleepaway camps following reports of COVID-19 outbreaks linked to two camps in the western part of the state.
The guidance recommends layered prevention tactics at camps attended by any campers who are not fully vaccinated, including masking, social distancing, hand washing, and frequent cleaning and sanitation.
The state reported Sunday that 5.3 million Ohioans were fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, which represents 45.4% of the total population.
The U.S. surgeon general says he’s worried about what lies ahead with cases of COVID-19 increasing in every state, with millions still unvaccinated and a highly contagious virus variant spreading rapidly.
Noting nearly all coronavirus deaths now are among the tens of millions of people who haven’t received shots despite widespread vaccine availability, Dr. Vivek Murthy is painting a grim picture of what the future might hold.
Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Murthy said, “I am worried about what is to come because we are seeing increasing cases among the unvaccinated in particular. And while, if you are vaccinated, you are very well protected against hospitalization and death, unfortunately that is not true if you are not vaccinated.”
U.S. cases of COVID-19 last week increased by 17,000 nationwide over a 14-day period for the first time since late fall — and a rise in deaths usually follows a spike in illness.