The Centers for Disease Control has moved Marion and Washington County to the medium level for COVID-19 infection. The level of infection remains low for all other area counties.
Marion County Health Department Administrator Melissa Mallow says the level of infection is now solely determined by hospitalization since the number of cases ended when the pandemic label for COVID-19 came off in May.
The CDC in its latest update last Thursday reported seven hospitalizations from COVID-19 in Marion County. Salem Township Hospital Chief Nursing Officer Lisa Ambuehl confirmed three of the hospitalizations were there, with two coming from a Salem congregate care facility that remains on outbreak status and the other from the community.
Ambuehl says in addition to the hospitalizations, higher COVID numbers are showing up in COVID-19 tests being conducted by the hospital with more than 15 positives reported in the past few weeks.
Mallow says a second congregate care facility in Centralia also remains on outbreak status for the second week. An outbreak status is declared when a congregate-care facility has two or more COVID-19 cases.
Mallow reports the current guidance for COVID-19 is to isolate for five days from the onset of symptoms and then wear a mask for another five days.
Salem Community High School Superintendent Dr. Brad Detering says the high school had a large number of absences. Some have been confirmed by testing as COVID, but he reports there seem to be several different illnesses that are impacting the school since classes resumed for the year.
