CLEVELAND — The city of Cleveland on Wednesday reached an unfortunate milestone in the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, exceeding 2,000 confirmed cases of the disease among its residents.
The Department of Public Health reports 53 new positive test results in the last 24 hours, the city's largest day-to-day spike since the pandemic began. That puts the total number of cases at 2,049, and with 473 "probable" cases added using the CDC's expanded definitions, Cleveland has more reported cases of the virus than all but five whole counties in Ohio.
The rise in coronavirus among Cleveland's citizens reflects a trend that has been seen in Ohio and across the nation in recent weeks. While much of this is due to increased testing availability, experts warn of a surge due to people not adhering to social distancing guidelines.
Part of the reason behind the spike is a new wave of the virus in younger people who are going out more as restrictions are lifted, and the median age of positive cases in Cleveland has now dropped to 44. Those under the age of 50 are much less likely to die from COVID-19, but they can still become very sick or potentially pass it off to members of more vulnerable populations.
On a more hopeful note, the city has not reported any new coronavirus deaths since June 16, although those numbers can often lag behind a spike in cases. 75 Cleveland residents have died from the virus since the pandemic began.
Although Ohio has seen a rise in cases, it has not been as steep as other states, and hospitalization numbers remain at a level that is not overwhelming the system. More than 46,000 cases of COVID-19 have been reported by the Ohio Department of Health.