The state’s 21-day average is 5,795 cases a day. In the last week Ohio is averaging 6,943 cases a day.
One in five patients hospitalized and one in four patients admitted to the ICU in Ohio have COVID-19, according to the Ohio Hospital Association. The state had 3,997 COVID inpatients Friday, with 1,030 in ICUs and 644 on ventilators, according to ODH.
It’s a 16% increase over the last week and 59% increase in the last three weeks in COVID inpatients. In the Ohio ICUs, the number coronavirus patients have increased 9% in the past week and 42% in the last three weeks, according to OHA. Compared to 60 days ago, COVID inpatients increased 14% and is up 5% in Ohio’s ICUs.
ODH Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said Thursday that Ohio is already matching hospitalizations reported during the peak of the state’s fall surge.
“The last time more Ohioans were being treated in the hospital for COVID was all the back on Jan. 12 when 4,000 patients were hospitalized across the state,” he said.
In the last day Ohio recorded 260 COVID hospitalizations and 20 ICU admissions. The state is averaging 259 hospitalizations a day and 24 ICU admissions a day in the past three weeks, according to ODH.
With the delta variant still driving most of Ohio’s cases, colder temperatures and the unknown of the omicron variant’s impact, health officials are urging Ohioans to get vaccinated and get booster doses if eligible.
“There’s a very important step you can take to protect yourself and your community and that’s to get vaccinated,” Vanderhoff said. “...We know omicron is on the horizon. We ought to do what we can to get ready and that is getting vaccinated or getting our boosters if they are due.”
Nearly 6.8 million Ohioans have started the COVID-19 vaccine and 6.21 million have finished it as of Friday. More than 58% of the state’s population, including 68.61% of adults and 61.78% of those 5 and older, have received at least one shot, according to ODH.
More than 53% of Ohioans, including 63.87% of adults and 56.48% of residents 5 and older, have completed the vaccination.
As of Friday, 1.77 million people in the state have received an additional vaccine dose. More than 51,100 Ohioans received an additional shot in the last day.
ODH reported 264 COVID deaths, bringing the state’s total to 26,851.
Other states don’t regularly report death certificate data to Ohio’s Bureau of Vital Statistics, so death data can fluctuate. The day a death is reported does not reflect the day it occured.
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