COLUMBUS, Ohio — “While there’s no doubt we are quickly moving in the right direction, it’s simply too early for us to declare victory given the reality that thousands of Ohioans are still being diagnosed with COVID-19 each and every day.”
That's the message from Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff as he provided a COVID status update during a press conference on Thursday morning.
He was pleased, however, to continue sharing "some good news" as the pandemic progresses with daily infection rates on a continued downward trend in Ohio.
“In some areas of the state, that decline has even accelerated," Dr. Vanderhoff said. "Just a month ago, Cuyahoga County had a rate of 3,000 cases per 100,000 residents. That number has now plummeted to 189 cases per 100,000 residents. A sharp, and welcomed, drop.”
Dr. Vanderhoff also noted that COVID-related hospitalizations are also on the decline.
“Ohio saw a peak of over 6,700 people in the hospital on Jan. 11. As of yesterday, that number has gone down by more than half to just over 2,800. Significantly, just in the last week alone, the state’s hospitalization numbers have declined by 18 percent – a further sign that the omicron wave is in fact receding about as quickly as it rose.”
We streamed the entire press conference live, which you can watch in the player below:
As a result of the decline in hospitalizations, Dr. Vanderhoff said some of the 2,000 Ohio National Guard members -- who stepped up to assist 62 hospitals and 18 testing sites throughout the state -- are now able to return home to their regular occupations.
Dr. Vanderhoff said there are still about 1,200 National Guard members serving at 28 hospitals and 13 testing centers as of Tuesday.
"While the National Guard may be reducing its presence in our hospitals and our testing centers, it’s certainly not the time for us to let our guard down," he continued. "Although our case numbers have in fact substantially improved from our omicron peak, it’s important to put our current numbers into some perspective -- remembering that a case rate of 100 per 100,000 people is considered high. Ohio’s overall case rate remains at more than five times that number – and our highest counties are in fact still close to 20 times that benchmark.”
Dr. Vanderhoff urged Ohioans to continue wearing a mask and getting vaccinated.
Ohio’s 21-day average for new COVID-19 cases has declined to 8,675, according to data released at 2 p.m. For context, that number was at 15,953 one week ago. Last Wednesday. Ohio is also reporting that 56.67 percent of the state’s population is now considered fully vaccinated.
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