ST. CLAIRSVILLE — While health officials in Belmont and Harrison counties still have not encountered the omicron variant, COVID case rates in both areas are skyrocketing.

In Belmont County, a rate of 634 cases per 100,000 population has been recorded in the past week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which considers a rate of 100 per 100,000 high. New cases since last week are up to 425, which is a 107% jump.

Deputy Health Commissioner Rob Sproul said the delta variant is still around the region, but it more than likely is being swallowed up and mixed in with the fast-spreading omicron variant.

“It could be a mixture, but again right now our big thing is delta was still the primary before …” Sproul said.

He expects omicron to invade Belmont County, but delays in receiving test results could make it at least another week or so before officials can confirm omicron in the county.

Sproul repeated what’s been said since omicron was detected – that it remains a mild strain and is not affecting people as seriously as delta, in terms of hospital admissions.

“But our numbers are creeping up still,” he said.

There are 881 active cases in Belmont County. Deaths remain at 151 since the pandemic began, with just seven people now hospitalized with the virus. Sproul said 588 test kits were received by the health department Monday that were all distributed by Tuesday morning.

“They were gone,” he emphasized. “And we reached out to the state to get more, and they basically said they were going to get us an allotment but they couldn’t tell us how much or when we’ll receive it.”

He said the vaccination rate in the county is still below 50%, but department staff continue running clinics from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each Wednesday with an average of 50-80 people turning out to receive a shot each week.

Sproul said that includes first and second doses, with the majority of injections now being booster shots.

Sproul called recent guidelines released by the state health department a big bonus.

He said people do not have to quarantine if they’re fully vaccinated and do not show any symptoms of being sick.

“So, if you’re up to date you don’t have to quarantine,” Sproul said or people exposed to the illness. “I mean, that’s a big bonus.”

He explained the omicron variant seems to be affecting the sinuses and not so much the lungs. Previous strains’ effects on the lungs had led to hospitalizations. He said omicron mutating would be the only way that would change.

“But right now from what they’re seeing, it seems to be staying out of the lungs for the most part, which is good,” he said.

But even though omicron is less severe, he said according to one report he’s seen the symptoms seem to hang on longer.

Harrison County Health Administrator Garen Rhome said omicron has not been detected there, either, and echoed Sproul’s comments regarding the delay in test results. But the case rate in Harrison County is exploding – now up to 691.49 cases per 100,000, according to the CDC, which he said was a 48% change. And new cases since last week are pushing record levels for the county with 120.

Eight new hospitalizations of infected Harrison County residents have been recorded since last week. Rhome said officials also know cases are under-reported, as many infected individuals may never take a test.

“So, we know no matter what the number is, we know that is a smaller number than the actual number that’s out in the community,” Rhome said. “So the real measure really continues to be hospitalizations, and unfortunately, the hospital situation across Ohio week over week just continues to worsen.”

Rhome said another record was broken with 6,457 COVID patients admitted to Ohio hospitals, as of Wednesday.

In Monroe County, the case rate has risen to 556.61 per 100,000 with 76 new cases since last week, according to the CDC. The jump in cases is nearly 69% higher than last week and testing, as of Dec. 28, was listed at 163 individuals.

Monroe County shows 2,668 confirmed current cases overall, 62 deaths since the pandemic’s onset and 108 active cases as of Jan. 4, according to the health department’s Facebook page. Monroe County Health Department officials did not respond to messages seeking comment, but a receptionist referred The Times Leader to the department’s Facebook page.