20K New COVID-19 Cases, 500 Hospitalizations Reported Wednesday In Ohio

OHIO — Health officials confirmed more than 20,000 new COVID-19 cases among Ohioans on Wednesday.

In its daily update, the Ohio Department of Health confirmed that 20,093 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded among residents in the past 24 hours. For perspective, Ohio has averaged 17,400 new cases per day over the past three weeks.

At least 499 Ohioans were also admitted to hospitals in the past 24 hours due to COVID-19, the state health department said. Additionally, 44 Ohioans were moved to intensive care units because of the virus.

According to the Ohio Hospital Association, 6,637 Ohioans are currently hospitalized with COVID-19. Of those, 1,221 are in intensive care units.

One in three patients in Ohio hospitals are COVID-19 positive. That's up 158 percent over the past 60 days.

Ohio also passed a tragic milestone this week. More than 100,000 Ohioans have now been hospitalized with COVID-19 at some point during the pandemic, the state health department said. Since the start of the pandemic, more than 30,000 Ohioans have died due to COVID-19.

Hospital systems across the Buckeye State are taking drastic steps to continue offering high-level care to patients. Many hospitals are postponing nonessential surgeries to preserve both bed space and staff, and the Ohio National Guard has been deployed to serve as additional staff in hospitals.

The Guard is also running mass testing sites throughout Ohio to keep people seeking tests out of hospitals and emergency departments.