Currently, 582 Ohio residents are hospitalized with the virus; a significant drop compared to more than 6,700 who were treated in hospitals in January.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – On Wednesday, Ohio Department of Health officials presented the prospect of an increase in COVID-19 cases across the state and across the country.
“It is now true that in recent weeks in the country and in Ohio, cases of COVID-19 have increased as a result of omicron and its subvariants,” Vanderhof said.
Last week, the death toll from the virus reached 1 million nationwide, with the number of cases rising by 60% in two weeks, averaging 86,000 a day.
Despite this, Vanderhof said it is important to put these figures in context, adding that the states are still “good” compared to the drastic cases seen in the winter months.
Currently, 582 Ohio residents are hospitalized with the virus; a significant drop compared to more than 6,700 who were treated in hospitals on Jan. 11 in the midst of a pandemic.
Over the past three weeks, weekly mortality in the state has fallen by 16%.
“It tells us that immunity, especially from vaccines, matters.”
State data shows that about two-thirds of Ohio residents who are eligible for vaccination have started the vaccination process. Vanderhof said the state’s vaccination rate, combined with those who have already been cured of the virus, provides “a substantial level of protection against serious disease.”
The latest updated map of community levels from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that Lawrence County is the only one in the state that is not yet in the “green” category, considered to be low-transmission.
“This is good news when we go in warmer weather, but we should take this opportunity to prepare for the fall when more of us will be indoors, or to prepare for unforeseen changes in viral activity,” Vanderhof said. that vaccination remains the best. protection mode.
On Monday, the FDA approved the use of the Pfizer vaccine against COVID-19 for children as young as 5 years old. The next step in this process is to wait for approval from the CDC.
“I am confident that this process is moving forward and that we have this vaccine likely to be available this summer or late summer,” said Dr. Joe Gastalda, director of infectious diseases at OhioHealth.
You can watch the full briefing in the player below:
https://www.10tv.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/ohio-health-officials-perspective-covid-cases/530-4ee71772-e746-4fec-82f2-9cde98230311
