President Joe Biden signed a bill officially ending the national emergency for COVID-19. This comes as cases drop low and stay low across the nation including in Trumbull County. 

“We right now get between 5 and 10 cases reported a day. That's very low considering how high they had been in the past,” Sandy Swann, Director of Nursing for the Trumbull County Combined Health District said. "Our death data, we have really declined."

In March of 2023 Trumbull County only reported one death due to Covid-19. 

Even though case numbers are low, and that national emergency has ended, health officials are still urging people to get their initial vaccine and a booster if they haven’t already. 

Trumbull County has seen 62% of all eligible people get at least one shot. Those eligible for the vaccine are anyone 6 Months and older. To reach herd immunity the county needs to reach 80% or higher. 

“We know the vaccines have helped prevent illness. We know the vaccines have lessened people from getting severely ill and we know the vaccines have prevented deaths from occurring,” Swann said. 

The Trumbull County Health District offers covid vaccines at its office on Tuesdays and Thursdays but haven't been seeing many people come in recently. 

The health officials are still encouraging people to follow mitigation strategies because, just like the flu, covid always has a chance to spread. 

“The virus tends to circulate at certain times of the year and people who are in crowded situations have a higher risk of being exposed to someone who may be infected with the disease,” Swann said about the flu. “This certainly could happen with covid.”

For people who have already gotten their initial vaccine and a booster, the CDC is still deciding if more vaccines will be needed on an annual basis. Currently the CDC and the Ohio Department of Health "recommend that everyone ages 6 months and older receive one bivalent (or updated) COVID-19 booster. There is no recommendation for additional bivalent boosters at this time" a statement from ODH said. The department said if new information shows that additional boosters are needed, then it will update its recommendations.

Dates and hours for vaccine clinics can be found on the Trumbull County Combined Health District website.