This has been a record-breaking week in Ohio for the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, as the case count has climbed into unchartered territory each day.
On Friday, health officials reported there were 5,008 new COVID-19 cases in a 24-hour period and 33 new deaths. Some 5,494 Ohioans have died from the coronavirus to date.
This is the state's highest number of new cases ever reported in a single day, according to the Ohio Department of Health (ODH).
This breaks the previous record of new confirmed cases, 4,961, which was set just one day ago on Nov. 5.
For the past four days, case counts have surpassed 4,000 per day. This is well above the state’s 21-day average of 2,961 cases, indicating that cases have risen significantly compared to three weeks ago.
Ohio first recorded more than 3,000 cases on Oct. 29, and cases reached more than 4,000 for the first time on Nov. 3.
Since mid-October, case counts reported per day have increased by nearly 131 percent, according to state data.
During his regular news briefing on Thursday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said there is significant community spread all over the state.
“It is everywhere,” DeWine said. “We can’t hide from it, we can’t run from it, we’ve gotta face it and we have to deal with it.”
Most of the spread is being attributed to gatherings such as weddings, funerals, and parties in people's homes, according to health officials.
All 88 counties in Ohio currently have confirmed COVID-19 cases, and all are experiencing high incidences of spread according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention standards.
Hospitalizations have also increased over the past three weeks. According to ODH’s database, 231 people were reported to be hospitalized for COVID-19 in the state over the past 24 hours. To date, 20,246 people have been hospitalized for the virus in Ohio.
The state reported 22 new intensive care unit admissions Friday. The ICU utilization rate, however, is trending downward, according to ODH data.
Cuyahoga County remains at a “red” category, a level 3 threat, on the state’s public health advisory system, which means there is high exposure and spread in the area. All surrounding Northeast Ohio counties have been designated in the red category as well.
Cuyahoga County health officials have not yet released county data for this week, but according to the state’s COVID-19 dashboard, the county is seeing 211 cases per 100,000 residents, which indicates a high incidence of the virus. The county will not drop to the “orange” category, level 2, until that number is below 100 per 100,000 residents, according to the state's alert guidelines.
The majority - 86 percent - of Ohioans are currently living in a red county, DeWine said in his Thursday briefing.
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