Ohio reports 3,668 new COVID-19 cases since last week; 141 Valley cases

The Ohio Department of Health on Thursday reported 3,668 new COVID-19 cases statewide since last week.

That includes 141 new cases in the Mahoning Valley: 50 new cases in Mahoning County (for a total of 53,267), 66 in Trumbull (41,441) and 25 in Columbiana (24,347), according to the state’s COVID-19 dashboard.

The state last month surpassed 2.6 million total cases since the beginning of the pandemic and earlier this month surpassed 37,000 total reported deaths.

Valley counties have reported a combined average of 23 new cases each day so far this month. There was an average of 93 new cases reported each day in February; 749 cases each day in January; 434 cases each day in December; 320 cases each day in November; and 259 cases each day in October.

The rate of new cases

The state’s average number of new cases per 100,000 Ohioans over the prior two weeks dropped again this week — the ninth straight week of decline. That average rate is now 41 cases per 100,000 people, the lowest point since mid-July. That’s down from 70 the previous week. It was at 79 new cases the week prior. The all-time low was just 20 cases per 100,000 people for the two weeks ending June 30.

Valley counties’ new average case rates are also down from last week. Only Trumbull County’s rate is above the state average. Trumbull reported 50 cases per 100,000 residents (down from 60 at last report); Columbiana reported 46 new cases (down from 73); and Mahoning reported 35 cases (down from 54).

Hospitalizations, deaths and breakthrough infections

There were 193 new COVID-19 hospitalizations and 18 new ICU admissions reported statewide since last week, according to ODH. The number of COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in the state continues to decrease.

As of Thursday, 423 people were hospitalized in the state for COVID-19, down from 536 last Thursday, according to the Ohio Hospital Association. As of Thursday, 67 patients were in intensive care units, down from 89 last Thursday.

The state on Thursday reported 173 new COVID-19 deaths since last week, including eight deaths in Mahoning County; two in Trumbull; and one in Columbiana. That makes 1,173 new deaths reported so far this month.

About 3,500 new deaths were reported statewide in February; more than 3,600 in January; more than 2,800 in December; about 2,000 in November; more than 2,500 in October; nearly 1,110 in September; and about 380 in August. ODH attributes deaths to the date they occurred, so new death reports are not indicative of their time frame.

As of Wednesday, fully vaccinated people accounted for 4,441 hospitalizations in the state since Jan. 1, 2021, and 1,218 fully vaccinated people have died. That means breakthrough infections are attributed to 5% of all COVID-19 deaths reported since the beginning of last year, and 6.4% of all hospitalizations.

Fewer than 14,000 Ohioans are presumed to be actively infected as of Thursday, the lowest level since late July, which is down from the most recent high of 440,000 Ohioans on Jan. 17.

Testing

The state’s average seven-day rate of positive coronavirus tests — which is down from January’s record high — dropped Tuesday to 2.3%, its lowest point since mid-July.

The all-time record high was 32.7% on Jan. 12. Before the recent surge of new cases, the state’s previous all-time high was 23.6% on April 20, 2020, amid COVID-19’s first wave. The all-time low was 1.3% in late June. Valley counties’ positivity rates per 100,000 people are also dropping but remain above the state average.

The counties’ rates for the two-week period ending March 15 were 3.8% in Trumbull County (down from 4.2% the prior two weeks); 2.6% in Mahoning (down from 3.5%) and 2.5% in Columbiana (down from 4%).

Vaccinations

The state last month surpassed 7.2 million first vaccinations, and as of March 10, 62% of all Ohioans had received at least one dose.

As of Thursday, 6,738,029 vaccine-eligible Ohioans have been fully vaccinated, or 61.3% of Ohioans age 5 and older. As of Thursday, 55.1% of all residents in Mahoning County have completed their vaccinations; 52.3% in Trumbull; and 45.3% in Columbiana.

This story was originally published March 24, 2022 at 2:55 PM.