Franklin County stays 'red' in Ohio's COVID-19 advisory system; Hamilton goes 'purple'

The Ohio Public Health Advisory System uses seven indicators to assess the degree of the virus spread in each county.

Credit: Ohio Department of Health

Franklin County remains at Level 3 (Red) in the state's advisory system to track the spread of COVID-19 as of Jan. 14.

Hamilton County has moved to Level 4 (Purple) and Clermont and Lorain are currently on the watch list to move up.

All counties except for Gallia, Hocking, Monroe and Vintonare Level 3. Those counties are at Level 2.

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HOW IT WORKS: Ohio Public Health Advisory System

The public health advisory system has seven indicators to help determine a county's level:

New cases per capita: Triggered when a county has an average of 50 cases per 100,000 people over a two-week period
Sustained increase in new cases: Triggered by a five-day period of sustained growth
Proportion of cases not congregate cases: Triggered when at least half of new cases originate from non-congregate settings during at least one of the past three weeks
Sustained increase in ER visits: Triggered by an increase in COVID-19-related emergency room visits over a five-day period
Sustained increase in outpatient visits: Triggered by an increase in COVID-19-related visits to outpatient settings (such as telehealth appointments) over a five-day period
Sustained increase in new COVID-19 hospital admissions: Triggered by a five-day period of sustained growth in new admissions
ICU bed occupancy: Triggered when at least 80% of a county's ICU beds are occupied over at least three of the last seven days

For however many indicators a county meets, they will be placed into one of four color-coded levels to display the possible risks involved:

Level 1 (yellow, 0-1 indicators): Displays active community spread; all current health orders should be followed
Level 2 (orange, 2-3 indicators): Displays increased exposure and spread; besides following all current orders, residents should also exercise a "high degree of caution"
Level 3 (red, 4-5 indicators): Displays "very high" exposure and spread; residents should limit activities as much as possible
Level 4 (purple, 6-7, indicators): "Severe" exposure and spread; only leave home for supplies and services

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