COLUMBUS, Ohio — As of Sunday, masking is recommended regardless of vaccination status in every Ohio county based on updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. 

According to the CDC, 82 of Ohio’s 88 counties have a high spread of COVID-19. The remaining six counties — Ashtabula, Athens, Hancock, Hardin, Henry and Meigs counties — have a substantial spread of the virus. No Ohio county has a low or moderate prevalence of the coronavirus. 

In late July, the CDC issued updated guidance recommending to those who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to wear a mask in indoor public spaces where coronavirus spread is considered high or substantial.

The increase in COVID-19 cases comes as school districts in Ohio are starting to reopen for the fall. Boards of education have had to decide whether to enforce mask mandates within school buildings, which has become a divisive issue. 

As of Sunday, 54.7% of Ohioans ages 12 and over are considered fully vaccinated, according to the Ohio Department of Health. Children under the age of 12 are not eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. Overall, 46.7% of Ohioans are fully vaccinated, according to the Department of Health. 

Universal masking is now recommended in 94% of counties in the U.S. as the spread of COVID-19 has ramped up, according to the CDC. The CDC says the increased spread of COVID-19 is likely due to the delta variant, which experts say spreads more easily from person to person. 

More studies are showing that the variant is not only more transmissible, but also more virulent, said Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, who becomes the state’s health director on Monday. 

“We now have data from Canada and Scotland showing that those infected with the delta variant have a higher likelihood of needing hospitalization, and from Singapore, that there may even be more risk of pneumonia, ICU admission or death,” he said late last week.