Mask Up In These Ohio Counties, CDC Says

ACROSS OHIO — Vaccinated and unvaccinated Ohioans should wear masks indoors, if they're in an area with high coronavirus case rates, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday.

The delta variant of COVID-19 is driving a surge in cases across the U.S., including in Ohio. The Buckeye State saw a new summer high on Tuesday when more than 1,300 cases were confirmed in 24 hours.

"This is fast becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated," said Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, chief medical officer of the Ohio Department of Health. He recommended anyone eligible to receive the vaccine do so and students again don masks in classrooms as schools prepare for the start of the 2021-2022 academic year.

A total of 23 Ohio counties are classified by the Centers for Disease Control as having either "high" or "substantial" transmission rates, and they should be mandating indoor masks under the new federal guidance:

• Substantial: Areas with between 50 and 99.99 cases per 100,000 people in a week
• High: Areas with more than 100 cases per 100,000 in a week

The 23 Ohio counties that fall under the CDC's "high" or "substantial" category are:

• Williams County
• Henry County
• Defiance County
• Fulton County
• Crawford County
• Ashland County
• Trumbull County
• Mahoning County
• Columbiana County
• Morgan County
• Washington County
• Meigs County
• Gallia County
• Lawrence County
• Scioto County
• Adams County
• Brown County
• Clinton County
• Greene County
• Montgomery County
• Miami County
• Preble County
• Butler County

Early studies show the delta variant is more infectious and more damaging — it has around double the hospitalization rate of the alpha variant, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Read more: CDC Recommends Mask-Wearing Among Vaccinated In Some Areas

The coronavirus vaccine is effective against the delta variant, particularly two weeks after both doses are received, public health officials said.

The CDC can only make recommendations. It's up to the state and local government whether to adopt any new policies and Ohio is unlikely to change its mask-free approach.

Ohio legislators have already taken steps to limit how health departments and even local school districts can respond to outbreaks. Public schools cannot mandate students or even staff receive a COVID-19 vaccine after legislators passed a law barring such protocols.

Earlier this year, legislators also passed Senate Bill 22, giving the Ohio General Assembly final say on any mandates issued by Gov. Mike DeWine or the Ohio Department of Health, effectively tying the hands of both when responding to the pandemic.

Amber Fisher, Patch Staff, and William Bornhoft, Patch Staff, contributed to this report.