Ohio’s new COVID-19 cases see slight upward movement

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The Ohio Department of Health on Thursday reported 8,833 new COVID-19 cases, showing a rise in infections, albeit small.

Weekly COVID-19 cases in the state have resided at four-digit levels for four weeks straight. While cases fell under 8,000 in mid-January, they teetered back above moving into February before nearing 9,000. The latest numbers defy trends from the past two years, when COVID-19 infections historically swelled during and after the holiday season.

ODH began reporting COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, deaths and vaccinations weekly instead of daily in mid-March 2022 after new infections slowed to a low level after the omicron wave. Over the past seven days, the state averaged around 1,261 new coronavirus cases per day. The 402 hospitalizations reported by ODH in the past seven days -- about 57 per day -- rose above the 387 reported last week, but failed to outpace the 479 hospitalizations in the week prior.

While hospitalizations increased, COVID-19 deaths decreased in Ohio. ODH said 71 people died from the virus compared to 109 deaths the week prior, which was just barely above the 106 reported two weeks ago.

COVID-19 vaccinations did not see any major rise or fall in the two-week period. A total of 2,048 Ohioans started the COVID-19 vaccination process in the last seven days, compared to 2,050 in the week prior. Another 2,155 finished vaccination by getting their second dose, down slightly from 2,189. Around six in 10 Ohioans are partially or fully vaccinated.