WOODSFIELD — For the second time this year, Monroe County tops the list for COVID-19 occurrence rate, ranking No. 1 in the state.

Monroe County is ranked highest for virus occurrence based on its number of current cases and population size. Although the county has only had 31 new cases reported in the past two weeks, those cases have left the county ranked No. 1 among Ohio’s 88 counties in terms of occurrence rate due to its small population of 13,654.

According to the latest released data from the Ohio Department of Health, the county has an occurence rate of 277 cases per 100,000 population, putting it in the high incident range.

Monroe County Health Department Administrator Linda Masters said the county is one of the least populated in the state, which has led to its position on the list.

“We’re such a small population that when we get a few cases it puts our percentage way up,” she said.

Masters said she was a little surprised with the county’s ranking, although she views it as “good news” because it indicates a decrease in cases throughout the state.

Overall the county has had a decline in its number of cases, Masters said. However, there has been a slight increase in positive cases within the county over the last week.

“In the last week we have seen an increase in cases. I’m not sure what it’s due to. I know that the nice weather has brought a lot of people out, so it could be due to that,” she said.

Masters said most of the county’s cases are due to random community spread and not attributed to any single event or specific gatherings.

Even with the high occurrence rate, the county remains at risk Level 2, the orange category, on the four-tiered Ohio Public Health Advisory System. Masters said the county flagged only two of the seven indicators — new cases per capita and non-congregate cases — which kept it from rising up a level on the map.

Masters said she expects to remain in the orange category on the color coded map in the coming weeks due to the recent increase in cases. The map uses the reported cases from the last two-week period for the map’s data.

“I hope we move down a level, but I imagine with the recent incline in cases that we will probably stay at Level 2,” she said.

While Monroe County ranked No. 1 in occurrence rate, neighboring counties were further down the list. Belmont County is ranked No. 42 in virus occurrence rate, having 88 new cases among a population of 67,006; Harrison County is No. 83, having eight cases with a population of 15,040; and Jefferson County is No. 54, having 70 cases with a population of 65,325.

Masters urges residents not to let their guard down and to continue with mitigation efforts.

“We’re just not there yet. Hopefully in a couple months we’ll be able to relax, but we’re just not there yet. We need to still be taking precautions,” she said.

The Monroe County Health Department is continuing with its vaccine rollout. On Friday, more than 250 staff members of the Switzerland of Ohio Local School District received their second dose of the vaccine. Teams of nurses set out to six of the district’s schools to administer the vaccine to staff members. All of the district’s teachers and staff who opted to receive the vaccine are now fully vaccinated, Masters said.

Another appointment clinic is set for Wednesday, when around 500 local residents will receive the vaccines. Masters said around 200 residents age 40 and over are scheduled to receive their first dose of the vaccine, along with 300 residents who will be receiving their second dose.

Masters said the registration wait time is not long now for those interested in signing up for the vaccine in the county. She said the health department is currently registering and scheduling vaccinations for residents age 40 and over.

“We’ve been doing really well. … There’s not much of a wait time now,” she said.

Eligible residents can register to receive the vaccine by emailing covid@monroecountyohio.com or by calling 740-472-4299.