Coronavirus Surge Continues: Summer Record-Broken For New Cases

OHIO — Ohio's surge of new COVID-19 cases continued Friday, with the state again breaking its summer record for most cases confirmed in a single day.

Over the past 24 hours, 3,783 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed among Ohioans. That's higher than Thursday's record-breaking total of 3,446, and well above the state's rolling average of 2,263 new cases per day.

Ohio's statewide case average rose to 259.2 per 100,000 residents this week. On July 7, the state had a case rate of 17.6 per 100,000 residents.

The rapid surge has been driven by the delta variant of COVID-19, according to Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, director of the Ohio Department of Health. He has urged all eligible Ohioans to get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible and to wear masks in any shared spaces.

Here are Friday's other notable COVID-19 numbers:

• 141 hospitalizations in the past 24 hours
• 14 intensive care unit admissions in the past 24 hours
• 41 deaths in the past 24 hours (though mortality data can lag)