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OHIO COVID-19 Update: Updated County Risk Levels, Increased
Spread in Cases
COLUMBUS, Oct. 15, 2020: Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s
administration provided the following updates on Ohio's response
to the COVID-19 pandemic.
UPDATED COUNTY RISK LEVELS:
New health data compiled by the Ohio Department of Health
found that 29 counties currently have a very high risk of
exposure and spread (Level 3): Adams, Butler, Clark, Cuyahoga,
Fayette, Franklin, Greene, Guernsey, Hamilton, Highland,
Lawrence, Licking, Lucas, Madison, Mahoning, Marion, Mercer,
Montgomery, Muskingum, Pike, Portage, Putnam, Richland, Ross,
Stark, Summit, Scioto, Union, and Warren.
“We have 70 counties that are either red or high incidence.
That’s 10 million Ohioans or 85% of the population, living in an
area with a high risk of community transmission,” DeWine said.
DeWine reviewed the seven indicators of the Ohio Public
Health Advisory System, which assess the degree of the
virus’ spread in each county. The seven indicators are:
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Indicator 1: New cases per capita;
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Indicator 2: Sustained increase in new cases;
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Indicator 3: Proportion of cases not in congregate setting;
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Indicator 4: Sustained increase in Emergency Department
visits for COVID-like illness;
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Indicator 5: Sustained increase in outpatient visits for
COVID-like illness;
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Indicator 6: Sustained increase in new COVID hospital
admissions;
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Indicator 7: Intensive Care Unit bed occupancy.
A county-by-county breakdown outlining the presence of COVID-19
in all of Ohio's 88 counties can be found on the Ohio
Public Health Advisory System's website.
INCREASED SPREAD IN CASES:
Governor DeWine announced the state’s positivity rate was 5.4%
and the seven-day average was 4.2%. This is up from September
when the positivity rate was 2.7%. He reported that Ohio has
1,042 COVID inpatients in hospitals, which is a significant
increase from the 563 patients on September 20, 2020.
DeWine spoke with Dr. Nick Dreher, medical director of
the Population Health Innovation Institute at MetroHealth
System, and Dr. David Margolius, division director of
internal medicine at MetroHealth System about the recent
rise in COVID-19 cases in Ohio.
Dr. Margolius told Ohioans that if they are planning to spend
time with family and friends, they need to do it safely, by
wearing a mask and practicing social distancing. Dr.
Dreher reminded Ohioans that they know how to fight the spread
of COVID-19 and need to continue following the proper prevention
methods to avoid stress on Ohio’s hospital systems.
“The only way….we can beat this virus back is to follow the
prevention methods we have been talking about since the
beginning of the pandemic,” said DeWine. “Stay home when you are
sick. Social distance. Wear a mask. Always.”
CURRENT COVID-19 DATA:
There are 175,843 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in
Ohio and 5,038 confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths. A total
of 16,824 people have been hospitalized, including 3,507
admissions to intensive care units. In-depth data can be
accessed by visiting coronavirus.ohio.gov.
Video of today's full update, including versions with foreign
language translation, can be viewed on the Ohio Channel's
YouTube page.
For more information on Ohio's response to COVID-19, visit
coronavirus.ohio.gov or call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH.
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