Delta Variant Surge Continues: 1,400 New Cases Reported In Ohio

COLUMBUS, OH — The spread of the delta variant is likely driving Ohio's surge of new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday.

In the past 24 hours, 1,456 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed among Ohioans, the state health department announced. Over the past three weeks, Ohio has averaged 591 new cases per day.

Hospitalizations related to the virus were also up again on Wednesday. At least 80 Ohioans entered hospitals for COVID-19 treatment in the past 24 hours, the Ohio Department of Health said. That's up from the state's rolling average of 44 COVID-19 hospitalizations per day.

Less than half of Ohio's population has started the COVID-19 vaccination process, according to the state's COVID-19 dashboard. Of the 11.7 million people who call the Buckeye State home, 49 percent (5.7 million) have received at least one part of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Nearly 5.4 million Ohioans, 46 percent of the state, have completed the COVID-19 vaccination process.

As the delta variant sweeps through Ohio, COVID-19 is quickly becoming a pandemic of the unvaccinated, said Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, chief medical officer of the Ohio Department of Health. He urged all eligible Ohioans to get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently recommended Ohioans in 23 counties return to wearing masks indoors, regardless of their vaccination status. The coronavirus vaccines are effective against the delta variant, particularly two weeks after both doses are received, public health officials said. But the delta variant still poses a threat to all Ohioans.

Early studies show the delta variant is more infectious and more dangerous — it has around double the hospitalization rate of the alpha variant, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.