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Summit County Has Third Highest Rate of COVID-19 Cases in Ohio

syringe and vile of medicine
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Those who have been vaccinated for COVID-19 can still contract and spread the disease as variants continue to circulate and cases spike, says Summit County Health Commissioner Donna Skoda.

Summit County currently has the third highest rate of COVID-19 cases in the state of Ohio. Despite the increasing availability of vaccines, the Summit County Public Health Department still has some concerns. Public Health Commissioner Donna Skoda says while it's doing a good job of getting people vaccinated at the recently opened mass vaccination site at the county fairgrounds, she’s still concerned about community spread.

“Any time you have these spikes in cases, you risk severe disease," Skoda said. "And our worry is that we’re seeing these variants circulate, and even though folks may have had COVID previously or may be vaccinated, you can still get disease.”

She is particularly concerned about new cases in younger people since most of them just became eligible to schedule a vaccine appointment.

“The fact that younger people are getting ill now, and older people are not getting as ill, speaks to the efficacy that the vaccine does work, and it keeps people from getting really ill even if they contract COVID-19," Skoda said.

Skoda encourages everyone to get vaccinated with whichever vaccine is offered and to continue following safety protocols even after being vaccinated.

Kelsey Paulus is a Junior studying journalism at Kent State University. She is pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree in journalism with a minor in design. Along with interning for WKSU, Kelsey is also a co-producer of TV2’s kentcore and a designer for A Magazine. She is an aspiring music journalist and hopes to work in the magazine industry someday.