Area COVID hospitalizations up; state reports fewer new cases

New COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the state over the past week were less than the three-week average.

The state recorded 16,169 cases and 445 hospitalizations in the last week, according to data released Thursday by the Ohio Department of Health. This brings the total to nearly 2.82 million since the pandemic began.

Overall, new cases and hospitalizations are down 11% from the 18,247 cases and 549 hospitalizations reported the previous week.

There are 763 COVID hospitalizations in Ohio as of Thursday with 126 receiving intensive care, according to the Ohio Hospital Association.

Of those, 59 were in west central Ohio —which includes Champaign, Clark, Darke, Greene, Miami, Montgomery, Preble and Shelby counties — and 107 were in southwest Ohio, which consists of Butler, Warren, Hamilton, Adams, Brown, Clermont and Clinton counties.

The hospitalizations represent a 13% increase in the last week for west central and a 9% increase for Southwest Ohio.

COVID ICU patients include one in west central Ohio — a 67% decrease from last week — and 14 in Southwest Ohio, which is a 7% decrease over the past week.

The state did not update COVID deaths on Thursday because the National Center for Health Statistics is implementing a new coding system. Death data also was not available June 9. Once the new coding system is operating, all deaths entered during the two-week pause will be coded with the appropriate cause of death.

More than 7.3 million people in Ohio have started the COVID vaccine and 6.82 million have finished it. Another 3.63 million people in the state have received a booster dose and 583,855 have gotten two boosters, according to ODH.

More than 62.8% of Ohioans have received at least one dose of the vaccine, including 66.81% of ages 5 and older. Nearly 58.4% of residents have completed the vaccination, including 62% of those 5 and older.

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