COLUMBUS, Ohio — While the number of available hospital beds across Ohio continues to fluctuate, the differences are small. Overall, data suggests the state is at a plateaued position according to Eye on Ohio: The Ohio Center for Journalism.
The slight changes each week express the ever-changing coronavirus pandemic.
Lucia Walinchus, the executive director for Eye on Ohio, discussed the latest report with Spectrum News 1.
“We’re kind of at a plateau,” Walinchus said. “It’s not a dramatic improvement, but definitely our hospitalization numbers have gone down. And overall our percentage — it used to be the number one diagnosis in these hospitals whereas it’s a smaller and smaller proportion of all of the stuff that’s going on, so that’s good.”
Hospitals throughout the Cincinnati and Dayton areas experienced an increase in capacity.
The latest statistics show Cincinnati reported 318 available Med/Surg beds on May 7 — 43 more than the week prior.
Med/Surg beds are occupied by the average patient hospitalized for COVID-19.
Dayton area hospitals also experienced an increase of 68 Med/Surg beds from the week before.
Eye on Ohio fought the state for access to the number of available hospital beds and other equipment related to COVID-19. The organization filed a lawsuit in the Court of Claims of Ohio to obtain the requested information. In November, Judge Patrick M. McGrath ruled the Ohio Department of Health must provide that data.
Click here to view the latest data from Eye on Ohio.
