Coronavirus: Daily cases back under 4,000 in Ohio as hospitalizations decline

Ohio reported fewer than 4,000 daily cases of coronavirus for the fifth time in the last six days on Friday, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

After daily cases hovered around 6,000 to 7,000 a day after the holidays, the state has recorded fewer than 5,000 daily cases for the last eight days.

Ohio has reported 914,530 total cases, including the 3,683 cases recorded Friday. Over the last three weeks, the state has averaged 4,766 cases a day.

Hospitalizations continue to drop in Ohio, with 2,170 COVID-19 patients in the hospital on Friday. It’s the lowest number of hospitalized patients for the last two weeks and the state’s fourth straight day of fewer than 2,500 hospitalizations.

If Ohio continues to stay under 2,500 hospitalizations for seven consecutive days, the state’s curfew could be lifted as early as next Thursday. Currently, the curfew is from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The state reported 228 hospitalizations on Friday for a total of 47,338. Since Monday, Ohio has consistently reported around 220 hospitalizations a day. The state’s 21-day average is 216 hospitalizations.

ICU admissions increased by 21 Friday, brining the total to 6,821.

Ohio has reported 11,571 deaths throughout the pandemic, including 62 recorded Friday.

Next week vaccinations will be available to the final age group in Phase 1B, ages 65 and older. Gov. Mike DeWine said Thursday that the state will hold vaccine eligibility to ages 65 and older for the next few weeks.

Phase 1B started in mid January with Ohioans ages 80 and older. Each week, the state has expanded vaccinations by including Ohioans up to five years younger.

Vaccinations are also open to people with severe congenital, developmental and early onset medical disorders and an intellectual or medical disability, as well as K-12 school staff.

As of Friday, 974,586 people have received at least one dose of the vaccine in Ohio and 264,499 people have received both doses.

Due to a technical issue, there was a delay in the number of vaccines reported on Friday, resulting in a higher number for the “Change in the Last 24 Hours” metric. The number may be lower on Saturday as a result.

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