COVID-19 Hospitalizations Hit New High in Ohio

Updated 3:24 p.m. | Hospitalization information from Ohio Hospital Association.
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in March, Ohio hospitals saw the most patients with COVID-19 this week, according to the Ohio Hospital Association.

On July 28, Ohio hospitals treated 1,122 COVID-positive patients, of which 348 were admitted to intensive care and 174 were on a ventilator, according to the organization. That tops the previous high of 1,103 set in late April.

“Our case numbers have remained high during the past month. We know there is a lag between when people are infected with the virus and when they start to feel sick and ultimately are hospitalized,” Lance D. Himes, interim director of the Ohio Department of Health, said in a prepared statement. “Ohioans have worked hard to slow the spread of this disease. However, these numbers are a stark reminder that this virus is very much still with us.”

Himes encouraged Ohioans to “remain vigilant and take every precaution to protect ourselves,” including staying home when possible, frequent hand-washing, wearing facial coverings and maintaining social distancing.

The Ohio Department of Health, as well as county health districts in the Mahoning Valley, reported 87,893 total cases of COVID-19, an increase of 1,396 in the last 24 hours. The Pennsylvania Department of Health reports 110,218 total cases in the commonwealth.

In Mahoning County, the ODH reports 2,321 cases, with 404 hospitalizations and 249 deaths. Mahoning County is fourth in the state for deaths and 10th in the state for the number of confirmed cases.

The ODH reported 1,347 cases in Trumbull County with 275 hospitalizations and 97 deaths. In Columbiana County, the ODH reports 1,523 positive cases, 166 hospitalizations and 60 deaths.

Trumbull and Mahoning counties are rated Orange in the state’s color-coded Public Health Advisory System, while Columbiana County is Yellow.

Of the total cases reported by ODH, 83,213 are confirmed. ODH reported 4,680 probable cases based on the CDC’s expanded case definition. There have been 10,553 hospitalizations and 2,513 intensive care admissions. And there have been 3,422 total deaths, which breaks down to 3,156 confirmed deaths and another 266 probable deaths under the CDC expanded diagnosis definition. The 21-day case average is 1,320.

The median age of those testing positive is 42. The state reports a presumed 61,056 Ohioans have recovered after testing positive. (Presumed recovered is defined as cases with a symptom onset date of greater than 21 days prior who are not deceased, according to the ODH website.)

Thus far, Ohio has conducted 1,416,157 tests. Of the positive tests, 9,976 or 11% are health care workers. CLICK HERE for a map of testing locations in the state.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 110,218 total cases, with 756 hospitalizations, 104 of whom are on ventilators. Since March 6, there have been 7,162 deaths in Pennsylvania. Of the cases reported, 107,138 are confirmed.

Of all tests conducted in Pennsylvania, 1,073,863 were reported negative. And of all positive cases, 75% have recovered (If a case has not been reported as a death, and it is more than 30 days past the date of their first positive test [or onset of symptoms] then an individual is considered recovered, according to the health department’s website.)

Mercer County has 308 total cases and nine deaths with 6,946 negative tests, while Lawrence County has 319 total cases, 11 deaths and 4,660 negative tests.

The figures are updated daily by the Ohio Department of Health at 2 p.m. and Pennsylvania Department of Health at noon.

For more stories on the coronavirus and its impact on businesses, both locally and nationally, go to our coronavirus news page here.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.