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Morgan County recorded 33 new COVID-19 cases over the last two weeks, giving it the highest rate per 100,000 people in the state, according to the latest statistics from the Ohio Department of Health.
The jump from 96.5 cases per 100,000 from March 29 to April 11 to 227.5 from April 6-19 was the result of 14 new cases in the earlier period versus 33 in the most recent span. The county has a population of 14,508, meaning it does not take a large number of cases to significantly alter the rate.
"We do have a small population, so small numbers look a lot larger as a ration," said Jeff Michaels, administrator of the Morgan County Health Department.
As an example of the volatility of the new case rate in counties with smaller populations, Morgan County had the lowest rate in the state -- 41.4 per 100,000 on six cases -- just two months ago, from Feb. 9-22.
The Morgan County Health Department is working to mitigate an outbreak, Michaels said, adding he could not give further details due to privacy concerns.
"Even the outbreak isn't something that would be considered large if you were in Franklin County or Cuyahoga County," he said.
The COVID cases the department is seeing now are generally milder than when new variants first arrived on the scene, he said.
Athens County was also in the top 10 among Ohio's 88 counties in terms of new case rates, though it dropped from 147 per 100,000 to 98. The county of 65,327 people had 64 new cases in the most recent period after posting 96 in the prior one.
Monroe County reported eight new cases among its 13,654 residents, just one more than in the earlier period. That increased its rate from 51.3 per 100,000 to 58.6, but with other counties seeing decreases, Monroe actually moved from 73rd to 34th.
Washington County, population 59,911, was right in the middle of the pack with 32 new cases for a rate of 53.4 per 100,000 (46th). Previously, Washington posted 42 new cases and a rate of 70.1 per 100,000 (45th).
Noble County, population 14,424, dropped from five new cases to three and its rate from 34.7 per 100,000 (85th) to 20.8 (86th).
The statewide average for new cases per 100,000 people dropped for the eight consecutive week, from 74.5 to 57.9.
Washington, Athens, Monroe, Morgan and Noble counties all were classified as low on the COVID Community Level guide updated weekly by the federal Centers for Diseae Control and Prevention. In counties labeled low, people at greater risk for serious illness from the virus are advised to consult with a health care provider regarding what precautions to take.
The levels are based on new COVID cases per 100,000 people and hospitalization statistics over the preceding seven days.