Cases and hospitalizations have surged in Montgomery County and across Ohio since October. In September, the state saw cases drop, with the 21-day daily case averaging around 1,000. As of Wednesday, Ohio is averaging 7,264 cases, according to the Ohio Department of Health, and has recorded more than 7,000 cases a day for the last week.
Earlier this month Jeff Cooper, Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County health commissioner, said the county is on track to exceed 5,000 cases in November. On Monday, he said the county has recorded more than 6,700 cases this month and is averaging 366 cases a day.
Cooper warned against Thanksgiving gatherings on Monday due to continued spread and hospitalizations in the region.
“The reality is, if we don’t change our behaviors and we continue to gather like we traditionally do we will see a significant increase in cases within Montgomery County following the Thanksgiving holiday,” he said.
Montgomery County moved to alert level 4, or purple, on Wednesday. It’s the county’s first time at the state’s most severe alert level. Lake and Lorain counties also moved to purple, joining Franklin County, which hit level 4 last week.
Level 4 means there is “severe exposure and spread” of COVID-19. The color is a warning to residents to heed health recommendations, but the state does not impose further restrictions on counties based on that level.
Montgomery County is the only one in the region to exceed 20,000 cases. Butler County is at 15,199 and is the only other county in the region with more than 10,000 cases. Warren County has recorded 8,419, Greene County 5,380, Clark County 5,218, Miami County 4,375, Darke County 2,325 and Preble County 1,565, according to ODH.
The county has the fourth highest number of total cases in the state.
Most of Montgomery County’s cases are in younger adults. Ages 20-29 make up the largest number of cases, 3,960, with ages 30-39 following with 3,002. Residents ages 50-59 and 0-19 aren’t far behind with 2,969 and 2,899 cases reported respectively.
While most of the county’s cases are reported in younger adults, the elderly and seniors make up most of the county’s hospitalizations and deaths.
Of the county’s 236 reported deaths, just under half — 101 — are in people ages 80 and older, according to ODH.
Ages 70-79 account for 61 deaths. The age group leads the county’s 1,907 hospitalizations, with 450. Ages 60-69 and 80 and older account for the second and third most hospitalizations, with 388 and 341 reported.
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