OHIO — Health officials have identified 82 counties that are now labeled as "high incidence spread" by the state, meaning there have been more than 100 cases per 100,000 people for two weeks straight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
And there's no plateau in sight, Gov. Mike DeWine warned Tuesday.
"It is community spread that is driving this. Community spread endangers our schools, our nursing homes, and our hospitals," DeWine said.
The warning comes as the holidays approach and health experts are forecasting another spike as families plan indoor gatherings.
The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) confirmed 2,509 more cases Tuesday. That's a jump from the day before but in line with last week's numbers.
Ohio saw record-breaking numbers when it came to daily cases last week, totaling 202,740 since the pandemic began. Although more than 161,000 have recovered, the state has recorded 5,239 deaths as of Tuesday. More than 140 of them occurred last week.
Currently, more than 35,000 Ohioans are infected with COVID-19—the highest estimate since July and an increase of more than 27,500 since last week.
This week, the state released new information detailing which counties have the highest incidence of spread. At the top of the list are Putman, Auglaize and Mercer counties.
“Every Ohioan needs to be alarmed by what we are seeing,” DeWine said.
Each Thursday, ODH gives an update as to where each county falls on the state's four-level COVID-19 tracking system. As of last week, three counties remain at risk for entering Purple Alert Level 4—the worst indicator: Cuyahoga, Hamilton and Clark counties. While Cuyahoga and Hamilton counties have been near Level 4 in the past, it's the first time Clark has been on the watch list.
More than 70% of Ohioans are currently in Red Alert Level 3, the second-highest indicator. A little over half the state is in Orange Alert Level 3 and just four counties remain in Yellow Alert Level 1: Noble, Monroe, Harrison and Hocking.
DeWine also noted Tuesday the state is seeing its highest rate of hospitalizations since the pandemic began.
Between Monday and Tuesday, the state reported an additional 198 new hospitalizations. The 21-day average is now up to 117.
More than 35,000 Ohioans are currently infected with COVID-19—the highest estimate since July and an increase of more than 27,500 since last week, according to ODH.
But a spike in COVID-19 cases isn't just happening in Ohio.
The U.S. just recorded it's highest seven-day case average: 69,967, according to Johns Hopkins University.
According to the data, Ohio is 12th on the list for highest daily cases in front of Wisconsin. California is No. 1. Nationally, known cases have doubled every three months. Globally, the U.S. leads in the most COVID-19 cases with more than 8,700,000 confirmed so far. More than 226,000 people have died.
As for a statewide shutdown, DeWine said he wants to avoid it, adding Ohio couldn't do it again without consequences.
“A complete shut down has consequences that are not good. We don’t want to shut down again. We’ve done it once. We don’t want to do it twice,” DeWine said.
DeWine and health officials are urging everyone to avoid large crowds and parties, especially with Halloween coming up this weekend.
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October 28, 2020 at 04:11PM
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Health Officials Identify 82 Counties with High Spread - Spectrum News 1
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