Health experts say 'test to gather' and check symptoms for Thanksgiving as cases increase

Mahoning Valley - In less than 48 hours, people will gather for Thanksgiving dinner, and for many, the holiday will be celebrated despite the recent rise in Covid cases.
From October 28th to November 10th, Columbiana County had 690 cases. Mahoning County had more than 1,200, and Trumbull County had 1,005.
Compare that to two weeks later and Columbiana increased to 768. Mahoning increased from 1,200 to more than 1,500 and Trumbull added almost 140 cases.
As folks plan to gather around the dinner table this Thanksgiving, state and local health officials are urging families to follow more than just a recipe this holiday.
"Look at your symptoms," Wood County Commissioner Ben Robison said during the Ohio Department of Health press conference, "Make sure you're not carrying anything to Thanksgiving other than the sides you're supposed to bring."
Officials said checking symptoms and testing for Covid could change the trend of increased cases they've seen every holiday in the course of the pandemic and again, urge the unvaccinated to get the shot and boosters.
"And that way when we look back on these celebrations, we can think about the memories that were made and not so much the disease that we're fighting," Robison said.
Ohio Director of Health, Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said, "Simply put, unvaccinated Ohioans remain vulnerable to COVID-19 and its many after-effects because they haven't yet chosen to get vaccinated."
Rapid COVID tests are free and available to Valley families and local health officials said you should "test to gather." The test takes about 15 minutes, so if you take the test Wednesday, you're good to go.
If you have symptoms or test positive, officials said you should stay home.
"We recommend testing before you gather for Thanksgiving because we've seen a lot of people who think they just have sinus issues or have a little cold but they have covid," Columbiana County Public Information Officer, Laura Fauss, said, "A lot of people have forgotten about covid or don't want to think about covid, but when you're gathering, especially if you're gathering with people who are vulnerable, you really do need to consider that."
To get a rapid test in Mahoning and Columbiana Counties, call a local public library branch during business hours to reserve tests. Tests are in high demand but are currently available.
In Columbiana County, you can also call the Columbiana County Health Department from 8am-4pm to get tests.
Trumbull County libraries are out of rapid tests except for Newton Falls Public Library with a limited supply. The county health department is reserving rapid tests for schools, but libraries said they are awaiting another supply of rapid tests from the state.
Rapid tests are also available at local pharmacies.