Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic it has been important to the health and safety of all Wayne County Residents to heed the advice and expertise of Wayne County Public Health and their messaging.
Recent data shows that cases are on the rise once again, likely due to the Delta variant which has been proven to be drastically more contagious, and carries increased risks of severe illness, hospitalization, and death.
In fact, Wayne County Public Health is now seeing more cases in children than ever before. Currently, 1 out of every 5 active cases are among our children.
Active cases among Wayne County residents was in the single digits as recently as July 21st, but now cases are on the rise at the same pace as during the toughest parts of fall 2020.
The Wayne County Public Health Department in collaboration with the Board of Supervisors, County Administration and the Emergency Management Office strongly recommends wearing masks whenever in an indoor public space. This recommendation applies to all Wayne County residents, whether they are vaccinated or not.
It is also critical for residents who have not yet been vaccinated to consider doing so, and to get their information about vaccination directly from our local experts on the matter, Wayne County Public Health. The vaccine is still effective against the Delta variant, and is extra ordinarily effective at preventing severe illness, hospitalization, and death. Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 can help prevent our hospitals from once again becoming overrun with patients.
Also, during last Mondays Health and Medical Services Committee meeting (see Page A7), Public health Director Diane Devlin stated lung cancer is the number one cause of death in Wayne County, surpassing heart disease. She stated the need to develop prevention programs. She participated, along with DSS Commissioner Dr. Ellen Wayne, Chairman Miller, Jim Haitz, Rick House and representatives from Wilmot Cancer Institute in a discussion regarding cancer in this area and how best to promote prevention and detection.
