COVID cases decline in Ohio after climbing for weeks

After nearly two months of coronavirus cases increasing, cases declined in Ohio last week.

The state recorded 17,530 COVID-19 cases in the past week, down from 19,546 reported last Thursday, according to the Ohio Department of Health. It was the first time in eight weeks cases dropped.

Over the last three weeks, Ohio averaged 18,871 cases a week.

Hospitalizations have also declined slightly after climbing over the past four weeks. There were 482 cases reported in the last week compared to 506 the previous week, according to ODH.

The state is averaging 487 hospitalizations in the past three weeks.

As of Thursday there were 753 people hospitalized with COVID, including 53 in west central Ohio and 89 in southwest Ohio, according to the Ohio Hospital Association. West central Ohio — which includes Champaign, Clark, Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery, Preble and Shelby counties — reported a 20% increase in patients with the virus compared to last week and a 36% increase in the past three weeks.

COVID inpatients is up by 1% from last week in southwest Ohio — which consists of Butler, Warren, Hamilton, Adams, Brown, Clermont and Clinton counties — and climbed 39% in the past three weeks.

Of the 89 people in the state’s ICUs who tested positive for coronavirus, 11 are in southwest Ohio and five are in west central Ohio.

The number of ICU patients with COVID decreased by 35% in the past week and increased by 57% over the last three week in southwest Ohio, according to OHA.

West central Ohio stayed the same when compared to last week, but reported a 67% increase in the past three weeks.

Since Jan 1, 2021, 68,584 people who were not fully-vaccinated and 4,733 people who were fully-vaccinated were hospitalized for COVID in Ohio, according to ODH.

During that same time period 23,763 were not fully-vaccinated and 1,273 who were fully-vaccinated have died from the virus.

Ohio reported 29 COVID deaths in the last week, bringing its total to 38,657, according to the state health department. It’s the fewest number of death reported since Ohio transitioned to weekly reporting on March 17.

Deaths have continued to decrease for nearly three months. In the past three weeks, the state is averaging 36 deaths, according to ODH.

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