COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations Increasing In Ohio

COLUMBUS, OH — Ohio's surge of new coronavirus cases continued Monday. Over the past 24 hours, health officials confirmed 737 COVID-19 cases throughout Ohio. The state was averaging about 450 new cases per day.

While Ohio has increased its testing capacity, that does not account for the surge of new COVID-19 cases, Gov. Mike DeWine said again on Monday. Ohioans are testing positive at a slightly higher rate for the virus, the governor said.

If the state's increased testing capacity was responsible for the uptick in new cases, DeWine said, Ohio's rate of positive tests should decrease. Instead, the rate has increased.

"Instead, the creeping up of our positivity rate, even as we are doing more testing, means that we are likely picking up signs of broader community spread," DeWine said.

Don't miss the latest updates from health and government officials in Ohio on the coronavirus. Sign up for Patch newsletters and news alerts.

For the first time in two months, Ohio hospitals are seeing an increase in COVID-19 patients, DeWine announced Monday. There are approximately 550 Ohioans hospitalized due to the new coronavirus. Cleveland, Dayton and Cincinnati are being hit hardest by revived surges of COVID-19 cases.

"There is still adequate bed capacity throughout hospitals in Ohio," DeWine said. He indicated that no hospital has approached its maximum capacity for patients.

Hospital admissions and intensive care admissions related to COVID-19 are up versus Ohio's per day average over the past three weeks. New cases are typically discovered before hospitalizations see a spike.

Here's how many COVID-19 cases the state confirmed per day last week:

• Monday — 729
• Tuesday — 590
• Wednesday — 632
• Thursday — 892
• Friday —987
• Saturday — 817
• Sunday —854