COVID-19 Prompts Sudden Closure Of Heights Libraries

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH — The Heights Libraries made a sudden decision to close all of their branches for the weekend.

The library system announced the closures on Saturday morning. They said rising COVID-19 case levels in the region prompted library leaders to close all branches on Saturday and Sunday.

The library system said it was "sorry for the inconvenience."

Hospitalization levels are hitting record highs in parts of the state, largely due to unvaccinated populations. The Cleveland Clinic urged Ohioans to get vaccinated, saying it was "near capacity" in many of its hospitals. Many hospital systems have delayed nonessential surgeries to preserve bed space.

The current COVID-19 surge is also infecting and sickening increasingly younger people.

Over the past two weeks, more than 20 percent of Ohio patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 were under the age of 50, said Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, director of the state health department. He added that people 40 and younger make up 13 percent of Ohio's COVID-19 hospitalizations.

The vast majority of COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths, approximately 95 percent, are among people who were not vaccinated against the virus, Vanderhoff said.