COLUMBUS, Ohio — It's been nearly two years since the coronavirus (COVID-19) was first identified. But while Ohio has made progress, the state's top medical official said that its numbers are currently trending in the wrong direction.
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In a virtual press conference on Thursday, Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff addressed the recent wave of COVID-19 cases that has coincided with the start of the holiday season. In doing so, Dr. Vanderhoff warned that Ohio's coronavirus numbers are currently on the rise.
"The Delta Variant appears to have gotten a second wind. Hospitalizations have significantly increased and right now, one in seven patients in our hospitals has COVID-19," Dr. Vanderhoff said. "Yesterday, there was more than 2,800 patients in our hospitals with COVID and more than 800 are fellow Ohioans fighting COVID in the ICU. In the last 21 days, hospitalizations have, in fact, increased by 23 percent and ICU admissions have increased by 15 percent. These numbers are, quite simply, going in the wrong direction.
"COVID-19 cases are, similarly, trending in the wrong direction. Yesterday, more than 6,300 cases were reported from the previous 24 hours. That's the highest number we've seen since early-October. More people are getting sick and more are being hospitalized.
In order to combat that the state's recent trends, Dr. Vanderhoff stressed the need for those who have not yet received the COVID-19 vaccine and those who are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine booster to do so.
"We all want to be on the other side of this thing," Dr. Vanderhoff said. "In order to be there, we simply need more people to get vaccinated."
You can watch Dr. Vanderhoff's full press briefing in the video player below.