Nearly four months since Ohio recorded its first case of COVID-19, the state has not seen a sustainable decline in the number of cases.
“I think what keeps me up at night is that I don't know when this is going to end," Columbus Public Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts said. "I don't see an end in sight and if we don't get our residents to do what they're supposed to do to wear their face covering, keep our 6 feet of distance. We are going to be in this for a long time."
Dr. Roberts was asked why we are seeing the number of cases clime.
“People are going about their routines as if we don't have a virus in our community,” she said.
Dr. Roberts says part of the reason is that people aren't wearing masks, keeping their social distance and washing their hands. She also believes the restrictions have worn on people.
“I think people are tired. There is a thing called 'COVID fatigue,'” she said.
According to Columbus Health Statistics, younger people, those between the ages of 20 and 29 years old, makeup more of the positive cases than other age groups.
“They are letting their guard down and as a result of that we are seeing more cases in our community,” she said.
Dr. Roberts says nearly 90 percent of the new cases in Franklin County are from non-congregate settings. That means people who don’t live in prisons or long term nursing homes.
It’s the main reason why Franklin County is one of seven counties that are now mandated to have people wear masks in public.
The health order was issued Tuesday at starts at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Dr. Roberts says one of the biggest challenges with the virus is dealing with those who are asymptomatic who can spread the disease.
“If you are not wearing a face mask you are spreading your germs to others,”she said.
Another challenge, she says, is contact tracing, tracking down the people who an infected person has been with.
The city has 180 people trying to get the answer but Dr. Roberts said the challenge they are having is that individuals aren't picking up the phone.
Health officials are required to ask more than 60 questions and it can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours to take the questionnaire.
The city says it’s trying to work with the Ohio Department of Health to streamline the process so it doesn’t take that long.
Dr. Roberts says, in the end, individual behaviors will determine how many people live or die from COVID-19.
“The first wave is getting worse, not better,” she said.