Delta Variant: 1,300 COVID-19 Cases Reported In 24 Hours In Ohio

COLUMBUS, OH — For the first time in months, Ohio has recorded more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases in less than 24 hours, the Ohio Department of Health announced.

Officials confirmed 1,317 new cases on Tuesday afternoon, the department announced. Hospitalizations related to COVID-19 also surged Tuesday, with more than 120 Ohioans being admitted for care, up significantly from the rolling average of 43 admissions per day.

In the past 24 hours, 12 Ohioans also entered intensive care units as they battled the virus. Officials also confirmed 23 COVID-19-related deaths, though deaths tend to lag behind new cases and hospitalizations.

News of the spike comes as Ohio officials renew their efforts to encourage vaccination against COVID-19. Receiving one of the three available vaccines on the market will significantly reduce the risk of serious illness or death from COVID-19, according to Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, the chief medical officer of the Ohio Department of Health.

"This is fast becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated," Vanderhoff said on Monday while recommending students again wear masks when they begin the school year in a few weeks.

The recommendations came shortly after Ohio legislators and Gov. Mike DeWine barred schools from requiring students or staff from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, until the vaccines receive full approval from the Food and Drug Administration. All three COVID-19 vaccines — from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson — were granted emergency approval, but not full approval.

However, Vanderhoff is hopeful that the FDA will soon grant the vaccines full approval.