Ohio COVID-19 Hospitalizations Hit New One-Day High For Summer

COLUMBUS, OH — More than 300 Ohioans were hospitalized because of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, the state health department announced.

On Tuesday, the Ohio Department of Health announced new summer records for most COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations recorded in one day. Over the past 24 hours, 318 Ohioans were hospitalized due to the virus, while 5,914 new cases were confirmed.

Hospitalizations continuing to soar is bad news for many Ohio hospitals, which are battling staffing shortages and the loss of available beds. As of last week, one in eight patients at Ohio hospitals has COVID-19, while one in five intensive care patients is struggling to overcome the virus.

For comparison, 60 days ago, one in 83 patients at Ohio hospitals had COVID-19. In approximately two months, that average has increased 993 percent, according to Ohio Hospital Association data. During that same time span, the number of intensive care patients fighting COVID-19 has increased 1,002 percent in Ohio.

"With the delta variant, we're seeing people of all ages getting sicker quicker," said Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, director of the Ohio Department of Health, during a news conference last week. He urged all eligible Ohioans to get vaccinated and to wear masks in any shared spaces.

Capacity shortages are beginning to pinch central Ohio hospitals, according to Dr. Andrew Thomas, chief clinical officer of the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. If Ohio's COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations do not plateau soon, the state could face a "difficult road," he added.

Ohio's rural hospitals are particularly overloaded with COVID-19 patients, based on Ohio Hospital Association data. Both their COVID-19 cases and intensive care patients have nearly climbed to January levels.

Here are Tuesday's COVID-19 numbers from the Ohio Department of Health

• New cases — 5,914
• New hospitalizations — 318
• New ICU admissions — 29

COVID-19 deaths are no longer reported daily in Ohio, the state health department noted.