On Monday the state reported 11,885 daily cases, but Gov. Mike DeWine noted that the number was inflated due to a technical issue at two labs that delayed when the test results were added.
A message on the ODH COVID-19 dashboard today read “Today’s data is incomplete. Thousands of reports are pending review. Additionally, today’s data includes positive test results that were delayed because of technical issues related to lab reporting.”
Ohio has record 382,743 total cases and 25,486 hospitalizations throughout the pandemic.
Deaths were also at a record high with 156 reported, bringing the total to 6,274. Previously, the governor noted that the daily death number reflects when the deaths were reported to the health department. It does not mean that all the deaths happened in the last day or even on the same day.
There are 4,541 COVID-19 patients in Ohio hospitals today, making it the fourth straight day hospitalizations were over 4,000.
In Zone 3, which includes southwest Ohio and the Dayton region, there are 1,120 coronavirus patients in the hospital, 254 in the ICU and 189 on ventilators, according to the ODH.
As of Monday, Ohio’s seven-day rolling positivity rate was 13.5%. The last time the positivity rate was over 12% was in mid April.
Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, DeWine is not expected to have another virus press conference until next week. The updated county alert levels and travel advisory will be posted today.
On Tuesday, the governor said Ohio could receive its first batch of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine around Dec. 15.
The federal government is expected to release batches of the vaccine on a rolling basis, with the Moderna vaccine being released about a week after DeWine said.
The first wave of Ohioans to get the vaccine will likely be healthcare and nursing home workers. Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, ODH chief medical officer, said that the federal government is sending out guidance on who should get the vaccine first and that the state is contact with federal officials as they continue planning.
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