Ohio coronavirus cases spike to a record daily high of 1,525
Four months into the pandemic, Ohio recorded its highest number of daily coronavirus cases with 1,525 infections reported Friday.
The Ohio Department of Health’s total of additional probable and confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the most ever recorded on one day.
Another 111 hospitalizations were reported and 24 more fatalities added to Ohio’s coronavirus death toll as the recent spiral of the pandemic continued unchecked.
The Friday numbers were far higher than compared to Thursday’s totals of 1,170 cases, 81 hospitalizations and 15 deaths.
About 30% of the state’s total virus infections during the four-month-old pandemic have been recorded in the last three weeks as the highly infections virus continues to sweep parts of Ohio.
Cases have increased by about 40% since June 21 while hospitalizations of those worst hit by coronavirus have risen by 19%.
Seven of the pandemic’s 10 highest daily case totals have come since July 1, translating to more than 1,000 cases a day.
Friday’s total eclipsed the two prior highest days of 1,427 and 1,366 recorded during the state prison outbreak and mass testing of inmates and staff in mid-April.
Prior to Friday, Gov. Mike DeWine and his health advisers attribute the spike in virus numbers mainly to community spread — more disease — rather than dramatically increased testing.
From a recent average low of 3.8% during the week of June 7, the rate of coronavirus tests returning positive steadily increased to an average of 5.7% last week. The most-recent seven-day average calculated on Thursday remained at 5.7%
Meanwhile, testing, first reserved for the symptomatic and at-risk and now expanded to nearly anyone wanting a test, has increased by three-fourths to nearly 18,000 tests a day.
Residents of six additional counties, including Fairfield and Pickaway counties in central Ohio and Summit County (Akron), are required to don masks in public beginning at 6 p.m. Friday.
The counties were elevated to “red” status Thursday in the second week of state’s new virus-risk rating system, automatically extending DeWine’s mask mandate.
A dozen counties, including Franklin (Columbus), Hamilton (Cincinnati), Cuyahoga (Cleveland) and Montgomery (Dayton), rate among the “red” counties flagged for spreading infections.
Dispatch reporter Lucas Sullivan contributed to this story.
rludlow@dispatch.com
@RandyLudlow