Governor DeWine announces COVID-19 diagnosis

Tuesday morning, at approximately 7:30 a.m., Governor Mike DeWine tested positive for COVID-19.

He started experiencing mild, cold-like symptoms Monday, including sneezing and a runny nose. His symptoms worsened slightly during the night, but the Governor is working remotely from home Tuesday.

Planning to get together with family over the weekend, he took a cautionary test Sunday before he developed any symptoms. The test was negative.

The Governor has started taking the anti-retroviral therapy, Paxlovid, as advised by his doctor. He will work from home for the rest of the week.

KP.3.1.1, a variant in the Omicron family, is now the predominant COVID-19 variant circulating in the United States and has been on the rise since June. COVID-19 cases and wastewater detections of COVID-19 have been on the rise in Ohio since late June. Though hospitalizations, which are a good indicator of disease severity, have risen modestly in much of the United States, they are not currently rising in Ohio.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends COVID-19 vaccines for all people ages 6 months and older.

Updated COVID-19 vaccines should be available in the early fall. Until then, those who have never been vaccinated, or those who are eligible for another dose, such as adults ages 65 years and older and people with weakened immune systems, should talk to their healthcare provider about the current vaccine.

Publisher's note: A free press is critical to having well-informed voters and citizens. While some news organizations opt for paid websites or costly paywalls, The Highland County Press has maintained a free newspaper and website for the last 25 years for our community. If you would like to contribute to this service, it would be greatly appreciated. Donations may be made to: The Highland County Press, P.O. Box 849, Hillsboro, Ohio 45133. Please include "for website" on the memo line.