DeWine: Ohio 'moving in the wrong direction' in COVID-19 pandemic

In his coronavirus news briefing Thursday afternoon, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and intensive care unit admissions all have increased markedly in the state. Ohio had 2,742 new cases in the previous 24 hours, outpacing the 21-day average of 1,801. There were 111 hospitalizations in the past 24 hours, over the 21-day average of 88. The state also had 21 ICU admissions in the previous 24 hours, over the 21-day average of nine. "We're moving in the wrong direction," DeWine said, noting hospitalization levels are close to where the state was at the beginning of March. A total of 53 of Ohio's 88 counties have seen increases in cases, and 69 counties are high-incidence, with at least 100 new cases per 100,000 population over the past two weeks. Hancock County in Northwest Ohio has the highest infection rate, with 336.5 new cases per 100,000 population over the last two weeks. Lorain County is 19th highest with 204.5 new cases per 100,000, and the statewide average is 183.7 per 100,000. DeWine previously stated health orders would be dropped once the state as a whole reached 50 cases per 100,000 population over two weeks. "We can still turn this around if more people get vaccinated," he said. "We are in a race — a life and death race. We have to keep moving as fast as we can." In Lorain County specifically, there were 59 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and 36 new probable cases reported Thursday, according to county and state health department data. Due to Lorain County's new case incidence rate, it will remain under a Level 3 "red" public health advisory until it drops below 100 new cases per 100,000 population over a two-week period. The county currently is meeting three of the Ohio Department of Health's seven "alert indicators" for pandemic severity, meaning it could drop down to the Level 2 "orange" advisory if its incidence rate declines significantly. DeWine noted this is the second week vaccines are available to all Ohioans age 16 or older. Some high schools have started offering vaccines to students, and DeWine said next week providers can partner with groups for closed-pod vaccinations, offering vaccines in workplaces, union halls or other places that might not be open to the general public. Already, at least a third of all Ohioans (3.9 million) have received at least one dose of a vaccine. In Lorain County, 107,086 residents have received at least one dose, and 62,224 have taken all recommended doses. Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, medical director for the Ohio Department of Health, emphasized during DeWine's news briefing that it is important to get vaccinated, particularly as variants increase. He said there were 92 variant cases identified at the beginning of March, and there are 797 today. That means the number of variant cases has effectively doubled every nine days.