ODH Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff updates state on COVID-19 pandemic

Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, director of the Ohio Department of Health, said in a news conference Wednesday that Tuesday's update of new COVID-19 cases — 3,235 new cases reported in a single day — had been the most in one day since February. He said at this point, Ohio still has the hospital capacity to handle COVID-19, but he's hearing troubling reports from other states where hospitals are canceling elective procedures and even in some cases moving patients out of state. Vanderhoff talked to Michael Forbes, a doctor at Akron Children's Hospital, during the news conference. Forbes said that doctors are seeing more pediatric COVID-19 cases this year compared with last year. "We have the power to mitigate the spread and end this virus," Forbes said. "If enough of us get vaccinated, the idea of dangerous mutations really goes away." Dr. Craig Dues of Mercer Health said that people should seek reliable, accurate information from medical professionals, noting that he'd heard from patients who were concerned about blood clots from the vaccine. Dues said that there is a higher chance of being struck by lightning than developing clots from the vaccine. However, blood clots are far more likely if someone is diagnosed with COVID-19. Vanderhoff said vaccinations are key to developing herd immunity. "What will ultimately happen is that together we will reduce the opportunities for this virus to play the lottery, with new versions emerging," he said. "With all the immunity, the virus will start to look like the common cold." After the news conference, the Ohio Department of Health reported an even higher total of new COVID-19 cases in a single day. Wednesday's data update showed 3,303 new cases were reported across the state since Tuesday. Of the new cases reported Wednesday, 2,614 have been confirmed using PCR testing. In Lorain County, the state health department reported 68 total new cases Wednesday. State health data also shows 174 new hospitalizations related to COVID-19 were reported across the state Wednesday, including five in Lorain County. No new deaths from COVID-19 were reported in Ohio on Wednesday, but 68 have been reported in the past week. Vaccination totals continue to rise across the county and state. Ohio Department of Health data showed Wednesday that 169,941 people in Lorain County (54.85 percent of the county population) had received at least one dose of a vaccine, while 158,224 people (51.07 percent of the county population) had completed their vaccination with all recommended doses. Statewide, the data showed 5,947,520 people in Ohio (50.88 percent of the state population) had taken at least one dose and 5,499,271 people (47.05 percent of the state population) had all recommended doses.