COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Health announced Thursday it will transition from daily to weekly reporting of COVID-19 numbers.
What You Need To Know
- The Ohio Department of Health will report COVID metrics weekly instead of daily
- Officials said many other states made the same switch
- The state health department will continue to closely monitor the virus
Beginning Monday, COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, ICU admissions and vaccinations will no longer be reported on a daily basis, Ohio Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said during a news conference.
The Ohio Department of Health will report these metrics once a week on Thursdays, along with deaths, which are currently reported twice per week.
“As the days and weeks pass, it becomes increasingly clear that not only are we leaving the omicron surge behind us, but we’re entering a new phase of our experience with COVID-19,” Vanderhoff said. “The situation is improving, and our experience with COVID-19 is evolving from that of a pandemic to more of an endemic state.”
Vanderhoff said the transition to weekly reporting is also consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest COVID-19 guidance, which bases mask recommendations on “COVID-19 Community Levels.” The three levels — low, medium and high — are determined by cases, hospitalizations and hospital capacity.
All but 10 of Ohio’s counties are at the low or medium levels, which means that required masking is not recommended by the CDC.
“The 10 counties still at high levels include Ottawa to the north, and nine counties to the south, generally along the Ohio River,” Vanderhoff explained.
Since January, Ohio’s COVID-19 case rate declined from 2,200 cases per 100,000 residents to 78 as of the latest update, Vanderhoff said. More than 6,000 people in Ohio were hospitalized at the height of the latest surge, and that figure dropped below 800 recently, he said.
“Many communities, schools and businesses have responded to these changes by relaxing masking and social distancing and other restrictions. Maybe you’ve allowed yourself a sigh of relief, and understandably so,” Vanderhoff said.
Despite the change in COVID-19 reporting, he assured residents that the Ohio Department of Health will continue to closely monitor the status of COVID-19.
