TOLEDO, Ohio — EDITOR'S NOTE: The attached video originally aired on July 20, 2021.
Cases of coronavirus are increasing in Lucas County, but health commissioner Eric Zgodzinski said area hospitals are not being overrun with patients.
The 14-day average sits at 6.5, which is up from 4.5 the previous 14 days. Zgodzinski said while the increase is small, the situation will need to be closely monitored in the coming weeks and months, especially as the Delta variant continues to spread and children return to school.
"Right now we're in good shape," he said during a Wednesday news conference. "But if we look at the trends, what is the possibility of us having the same issues [as other parts of the country]?"
For now, Zgodzinski said hospitals are in a better position than last year. Resources and items like N95 masks are in much higher supply.
He said they have continuously prepared for another wave.
"It's the unknown we all have a concern with," Zgodzinski said. "We've been through the fire a couple of times with these surges, but we don't know exactly what it will look like."
Zgodzinski said the Ohio Department of Health will be issuing guidance in the next few days regarding back to school. He urged everyone to wear a mask when appropriate and get vaccinated.
"We're lucky we can go out and about without restrictions," he said. "What I think we'll see is because we're out and about and less enthusiastic about wearing masks and washing our hands, that will probably feed into issues. I think we'll see a trend up."