Nearly 9,000 New Coronavirus Cases Confirmed In Ohio

COLUMBUS, OH — Health officials confirmed nearly 9,000 new COVID-19 cases among Ohioans on Thursday.

In the past 24 hours, 8,921 new cases were confirmed in Ohio, the state health department announced. That's above the state's rolling average of 8,209 new COVID-19 cases per day.

Deaths and hospitalizations related to the virus were also up on Thursday, with 82 Ohioans dying from COVID-19 complications.

"Each of these lives matter a lot. Every Ohioan deserves for us to be guided by the facts and to do everything we can to battle the virus until help is here. Help is on the way with the vaccine that is coming," Gov. Mike DeWine said Thursday.

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Ohio is now averaging 52 COVID-19-related deaths per day. More than 6,700 Ohioans have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic began.

There were nearly 400 new COVID-19 hospitalizations in the past 24 hours, up again versus the state's average of 320 hospitalizations per day. Thirty-three Ohioans were also admitted to intensive care units on Thursday.

Dr. Andy Thomas, of the Wexner Medical Center, said hospitals around Ohio are now delaying elective surgeries, which is causing a delay in care and diagnosis tests.

"This is having an impact now. Hospitals are making difficult decisions to delay care. No one wants to see that," Thomas said.

Here are all of Thursday's numbers:

• New cases: 8,921
• New deaths: 82
• New hospitalizations: 396
• New ICU admissions: 33

More reading:

• Ohio's Coronavirus Positivity Rate Now Over 15 Percent
• How Ohio Will Distribute Pfizer's COVID-19 Vaccine
• 'We Didn't Have To Be Gutted': Virus Claims Nurse's Husband, Mom