New Coronavirus Cases Hit Summer High In Ohio

COLUMBUS, OH — Ohio recorded nearly 1,800 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, a new high for the summer.

On Tuesday, 1,769 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed among Ohioans, the state health department announced. That's more than double what the state had been averaging — 855 cases per day.

Hospitalizations related to the virus were also up dramatically on Tuesday, with 124 Ohioans being admitted for COVID-19 care. Over the past three weeks, Ohio had averaged 54 virus-related hospitalizations per day.

While intensive care admissions and deaths are what officials call lagging indicators, meaning they frequently tick up a week or two weeks after new cases surge, both categories saw increases on Tuesday.

In the past 24 hours, 13 Ohioans were moved to intensive care units due to COVID-19, while at least 38 Ohioans died because of the virus. The Ohio Department of Health noted that if an Ohio dies in another state, that data is often not forwarded to Ohio officials that day, so tallies may increase further.

As the delta variant of COVID-19 spreads through Ohio and the U.S., many American companies and schools are now asking employees to wear masks while indoors. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have also indicated that 64 of Ohio's 88 counties have substantial or high rates of COVID-19 spread locally, meaning everyone, regardless of vaccination status, should wear a mask indoors.