Ohio coronavirus cases up 16.5% in last week; hospital patient count highest since March
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Reported coronavirus cases in Ohio jumped 16.5% in the last week, and hospitalizations increased to their highest level in the month, despite increasing numbers of people vaccinated for the virus.
The Ohio Department of Health through Monday has now reported 18,643 deaths, 53,445 hospitalizations and 1,026,929 cases. This means that 1-in-11 Ohioans is known to have have had the virus.
Vaccinations, meanwhile, have increased in recent weeks with nearly 40% of the state’s 16 and older population now having received at least one shot.
Here’s a closer look at the latest trends.
Hospitalizations
A total of 1,096 coronavirus patients were reported in Ohio hospitals on Monday, the highest patient count reported by the Ohio Hospital Association since March 2. The daily census had dropped as low as 823 on March 7 and didn’t climb back over 1,000 until Thursday, April 1.
However, even the increased numbers remain well below where they were months ago, including a record 5,308 patients on Dec. 15.
Among Monday’s patients were 271 in intensive care units, up from 252 a week ago. The high was 1,318 on Dec. 15.
Vaccines
The state reported starting vaccines for 445,174 people in the last week, in comparison to 454,155, 431,824, 393,144, 309,434 and 236,727 and the previous weeks.
The 3.7 million vaccinations started through reporting on Monday means about 40% of Ohio’s population age 16 and up has received at least one shot. Younger people are not approved to receive vaccines.
These are estimates in part because the Ohio data for vaccines includes some people from other states such as those who work in Ohio or traveled here for shots – at least 99,655 so far – yet some Ohioans may have received vaccinations in other states.
Cases
Ohio reported an average of 1,973 cases a day in the last week.
This compares with averages of 1,704, 1,551, 1,516, 1,550, 1,928, 2,016, 2,732, 3,295, 4,346 and 5,370 the last several weeks, and down from close to 6,700 a day at the end of December.
The counties with the most cases are Ohio’s three largest counties – Franklin (118,657 cases), Cuyahoga (103,289) and Hamilton (76,896). Case rates per 100 residents, hospitalizations and deaths for every county in Ohio can be found in the chart at the bottom of this story.
Deaths
The state has now reported 18,643 deaths caused by the coronavirus, though the total likely is an undercount by hundreds, if not thousands.
The Ohio Department of Health announced on March 2 that it was dropping efforts to track deaths in a timely manner, saying the change would delay death reporting by up to six months in some cases. The health department is now awaiting details from the federal Centers for Disease Controls for all deaths, and updates are now being made just twice a week.
Illustrating how far the paperwork now lags, the state is not yet reporting any deaths that occurred in April, and just 264 in March. The last death reported occurred on March 25.
To date, the state has reported 1,288 deaths occurring in February, 3,622 in January and 5,455 in December.
The counties for which the most deaths have been reported are Cuyahoga (2,009), Franklin (1,328) and Hamilton (1,155).
Though Cuyahoga has the most deaths, it’s death rate of 1.63 per 1,000 residents is just slightly above the statewide rate of 1.59 per 1,000. The counties with the highest rates are Putnam (2.89 per 1,000), Monroe (2.86) and Tuscarawas (2.59).
Among the dead are at least 7,119 patients of nursing homes and other long-term facilities statewide, according to the the state’s last update on Wednesday. This was down from 7,462 in early March, as the state removed hundreds of deaths in changing the way fatalities are reported.
Demographics
Three-in-four of the deaths have been to people age 70 and older, breaking down this way: under age 20 (7), in their 20s (23), in their 30s (97), in their 40s (256), in their 50s (921), in their 60s (2,660), in their 70s (5,004) and at least 80 years old (9,675).
Those age 80 and up have accounted for 52% of the known coronavirus deaths, in comparison to 44% of all known Ohio deaths in 2018. Those in their 70s have accounted for 27% of the coronavirus deaths, in comparison to 21% of all Ohio deaths in 2018 ahead of the virus.
But for hospitalizations, the cases are more spread out age-wise: under age 20 (1,291), in their 20s (2,096), in their 30s (2,767), in their 40s (4,206), in their 50s (7,661), in their 60s (11,508), in their 70s (12,589) and at least 80 years old (11,327).
For the deaths in which race was reported, 86% of the people are white, and 12% are Black. For total cases, 75% are white and 13% Black.
Ohio’s overall population is 82% white and 13% Black. But among Ohioans at least 70 years old – the age group accounting for three-quarters of the deaths – Ohio is 89% white and 9% Black.
Case milestones and testing
The first three cases were confirmed on March 9, 2020. The total topped 100,000 on Aug. 9, 250,000 on Nov. 8, 500,000 on Dec. 8, and 1 million on March 22.
Among the cases reported to date are 157,804 listed as “probable,” those cases included by a wider variety of tests or identified through non-testing evidence. This total is up from 153,696 last week.
The state reported 11,126,130 tests to date, including 187,537 in the last week, in comparison to 214,267 the previous week.
The chart below is based on the most recent case data from the Ohio Department of Health. Cleveland.com calculated the cases per 100 rates based on 2019 census population estimates.
Rich Exner, data analysis editor for cleveland.com, writes about numbers on a variety of topics. Follow on Twitter @RichExner. See other data-related stories at cleveland.com/datacentral.
Some mobile users may have to use this link instead to see the county-by-county details in the chart above.
Previous coverage
See coronavirus cases by day for each Ohio county, including per capita and cases in last seven days
Obamacare now cheaper for millions because of big health insurance changes in stimulus
How to claim your unemployment tax break under new stimulus; other coronavirus-related tax matters
Read More: Ohio coronavirus cases up 16.5% in last week; hospital patient count highest since March