Columbiana County reports 244 new COVID-19 cases, 2 new deaths

LISBON — Columbiana County today reported 244 new COVID-19 cases since Tuesday.

The Columbiana County Health District today also reported two new COVID-19 deaths: a 74-year-old male, who was a resident of a long-term care facility, and a general community member.

There have been a total of 4,900 cases of COVID-19 in the county to date. About 1,052 of those cases are presumed to be active infections.

A total of 111 virus-related deaths have been reported in the county to date. Of those deaths, 66, or 61 percent, were reported in county long-term care facilities such as nursing homes, according to the district.

The federal Bureau of Prisons on Thursday reported at least 974 cumulative cases at Federal Correctional Institution Elkton in Lisbon, including 19 active infections — 16 among staff and three among incarcerated people.

FCI Elkton has the third-highest number of cumulative cases in the federal prison system, behind facilities in Seagoville, Texas, and Beaumont, Texas. It also has the fourth-highest number of total deaths.

FCI Elkton also has reported nine deaths among incarcerated people, the most recent of which was reported May 8.

As of Thursday, another 3,273 people were presumed to have recovered from the virus in the county, according to the Ohio Department of Health. That metric is measured as the number of COVID-19 patients whose symptoms reportedly began more than 21 days ago but who have not died.

At FCI Elkton, 896 incarcerated people and 54 employees had recovered from COVID-19 as of today, according to the bureau. That number has declined in recent weeks, suggesting the bureau removes cases from its total when people are transferred out of the prison.

A total 348 people have been hospitalized in the county as of Thursday, according to ODH.

Columbiana County this week remained at the state's level 3 "red" alert status under the Ohio Public Health Advisory System map, as the county meets five of the state's seven risk indicators for coronavirus transmission. As the state dashboard's data has remained incomplete since Nov. 20, the statistics below are preliminary:

• The county has reported 773 new COVID-19 cases in the past two weeks, or 758.71 new cases per 100,000 population. That's more than seven times higher than the CDC's "high incidence" threshold, which is 100 new cases per 100,000 people. Counties meet this indicator when they report more than 50 new cases in the past two weeks per 100,000 people.
• The county has reported a consecutive, at least five-day increase in the average number of new cases in the past three weeks, from Nov. 11, when the average was 50 new cases, to Nov. 17, when the average was 72 new cases.
• Between 50 percent and 95 percent of the county's new cases from Nov. 11 to Dec. 1 were reported outside congregate settings such as long-term care or correctional facilities. Counties meet this indicator when more than 50 percent of new cases from at least one of the last three weeks were reported outside a group setting.
• The county has reported a consecutive, at least five-day increase in the average number of emergency department visits for COVID-like illness in the last three weeks, from Nov. 11, when the average was nine visits, to Nov. 17, when the average was 14 visits.
• Hospitals in the region reported ICU bed occupancy between 77 percent and 86 percent for the week ending Dec. 1. COVID-19 patients accounted for between 24 percent and 27 percent of that capacity. Counties meet this indicator when ICU occupancy at hospitals in their region reach at least 80 percent for at least three days out of the week, and when at least 20 percent of that capacity is taken by COVID-19 patients.

As of Thursday, Columbiana County had the 28th-highest total number of cases in the state, as well as the 15th-highest total deaths, according to ODH.

This story was originally published December 11, 2020 at 11:00 AM with the headline "Columbiana County reports 244 new COVID-19 cases, 2 new deaths."