COVID-19 Spread Up 800 Percent Among Ohio School Children: ODH

OHIO — COVID-19 cases among Ohio's school-aged children have increased dramatically over the past two months, according to data from the Ohio Department of Health.

On Aug. 23, there were 4,133 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed among Ohioans. Of those, 633 cases were among children ages 5 to 18. That represents a 351 percent increase between late July and late August in cases among school-aged children, the department said.

“With many districts going back to school last week, the number of illnesses from Monday, Aug. 23 is troubling,” said Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff. “As students statewide continue to return to their classrooms, this high figure should be yet another indicator to parents and families that the best protection from COVID-19 is for those 12 and older to choose to be vaccinated, and for those who aren’t vaccinated to wear masks.”

During the first week of July, there 324 cases confirmed among school-aged children, and 1,987 cases overall. During the week of Aug. 15, there were 20,056 cases confirmed statewide and 3,005 cases among children. That's an 827 percent increase among kids and a 909 percent overall increase.

The Ohio Department of Health wants to keep students in-school and safe from the virus. To that end, students and parents should get a COVID-19 vaccine, if eligible, and wear masks in shared spaces, officials said.

The statewide COVID-19 surge has impacted nearly every corner of Ohio. In early July, the Buckeye State had a case rate of 17.6 per 100,000 residents. On Thursday, Ohio's case rate rose to 338.1 cases per 100,000 residents.

Every county in Ohio has a case rate higher than 100 per 100,000 residents.

On Thursday, 5,395 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed among Ohioans, the most case confirmed in one day since the December and January winter surge.

“COVID-19 vaccines are our best protection, and our way out of this pandemic,” Vanderhoff said. “If you haven’t yet been vaccinated, talk to your doctor to get the facts. For those ages 12-17 who are eligible for the Pfizer vaccine, it takes 5 weeks to be fully vaccinated.”