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Staff Writer
T-L Photo/ROBERT A. DEFRANK
Belmont County Deputy Health Commissioner Robert Sproul reports on COVID-19 cases and vaccinations. The work of contact-tracing those who may have been in contact with infected people will soon be taken over by the state.
ST. CLAIRSVILLE The Belmont County Health Department is receiving some state aid in contact tracing, which should free up staff for other duties.
Belmont County Deputy Health Commissioner Robert Sproul said Tuesday he had spoken with the state health department on details of contact tracing going forward. Residents who have been in contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 will now be notified by a communications company. Public Consulting Group is contracting with the Ohio Department of Health to do contact tracing, Sproul said in a text message.
Times Leader Staff Writer
ST. CLAIRSVILLE With demand for COVID-19 vaccination declining in Belmont County, the health department’s weekly shot clinic at the Ohio Valley Mall is expected to end May 20.
After that, Belmont County Deputy Health Commissioner Robert Sproul said, health department staff likely will continue to set up clinics around Belmont County by request.
“We’re going to try and go around the community,” Sproul said. “We’re going to try to reach out to different communities and different locations, so that way we can be in the community with the shot, so they wouldn’t have to drive to our place. If Bethesda wanted, we would find some place in Bethesda to sit down and give the shots and come back in 28 days and do the second shot.”
From Staff Reports
Three of the Northern Panhandle’s four counties found themselves in the safest category Monday on the state’s COVID-19 alert map.
Hancock, Brooke and Ohio counties all were green on the Department of Health and Human Resources alert map. Meanwhile, Marshall County was orange, the second-highest-risk category.
Hancock County had an infection rate of 13.39 cases per 100,000 residents and a percent positivity of 2.99. Brooke County had an infection rate of 14.33 cases per 100,000 residents and a percent positivity of 2.90.
Ohio County had an infection rate of 17.25 cases per 100,000 residents and a percent positivity of 2.63. Marshall County had an infection rate of 25.27 cases per 100,000 residents and a percent positivity of 5.06.
Times Leader Staff Writer
ST. CLAIRSVILLE Comparatively few people are electing to receive COVID-19 vaccinations compared to earlier this year, but the Belmont County Health Department continues to administer shots.
“We’re definitely seeing less and less people each week,” Linda Mehl, department director of nursing, said. “This week we only had about 250 or so scheduled (for second doses) and we were doing walk-ins all afternoon, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. They’re kind of trickling in.”
The Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna versions of the vaccine each require two doses administered about a month apart.
“It’s definitely a lot less than we’ve done the past several weeks, but I don’t think we’re unique in that,” Mehl said.