WEEKLY COVID-19 TRENDS | Coronavirus surging into election week – Mahoning Matters

The coronavirus pandemic in Ohioisn't just getting worse; it's getting worse at an alarming rate. Unlike the state's previous spikes, this one is steep, and there are no signs of letting up.

COLUMBUS Heading into election week, the coronavirus pandemic in Ohioisn't just getting worse; it's getting worseat an alarming rate.

Unlike the state's previous spikes, this one is steep, and there are no signs of letting up.

Between Oct. 25 and Oct. 31, Ohio reported 18,828 new confirmed cases of COVID-19. It's the third week in a row the state has set a new weekly record.

On Oct. 30, the state set a sobering new record: 3,745 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in a single day.

If you dismiss the surge as a result of increased testing, you should take a closer look.

The state also set a new record for most hospitalizations in a single week; 1,126 Ohioans were hospitalized last week for COVID-19.

Meanwhile, the state's average test positivity rate has more thandoubled since mid-September. On Sept. 24, the seven-day positivity average hit a low of 2.7 percent. On Friday, the average was 6.7percent.

During his Thursday briefing, DeWine released an updated map for the state's Public Health Advisory System. There are now 43 counties in Level 3 "red" the most since the map was released. Just two counties are "yellow."

As of Thursday, 83 of Ohio's 88 counties are considered to have a high incidence of virus transmission; these arecounties thathave seen more than 100 cases per 100,000 residents in the past two weeks.

"The virus is raging throughout the state of Ohio. There's no place to hide," DeWine said during his Thursday address. He also againurged Ohioans to rethink holiday plans.

While DeWine continues to beg Ohioans to don face coverings, he has begun to emphasize the role of personal responsibility in combatting the virus.

DeWine on Thursday said the state is relyingon Ohioans' sense of personal responsibility to slow the spread of coronavirus, rather than "mask police."

"Ohioans have been able to dramatically increase mask-wearing. We saw this back in July when we had a statewide mask order," resulting in 85 percent to 90 percent compliance in some areas, he said.

"When we saw that, we saw cases go down. We can do this again," DeWine said. "We don't have the ability to have 'mask police' everywhere. We rely on the goodwill of the people of the state of Ohio.

DeWine is also calling on local governments to "redouble" their efforts in combatting the virus.

In terms of stemming the spread locally,Mercy Health Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Jim Kravec said, for the most part, schools and businesses are already doing a great job. The issue lies in the public's perception of the pandemic, he said.

"Where I see opportunity is, really, a small percentage of the population that is not following the distancing and the masking," Kravec said. "Some people don't 'buy' what we're telling them. It's hard to get through to people that don't believe the message."

Mahoning County remains at"red" on thealert map and is also considered to have high incidence of coronavirus spread.The county reported 318 new cases in thelast twoweeks,139.06 new cases per capita.

The county now meets four of the state's seven risk indicators for coronavirus spread: new cases per capita; increasing numbers of new cases; the number of new cases occurring outside group settings such as long-term care or correctional facilities; and increasing outpatient visits for COVID-like illnesses.

Between late August and mid-September, Mahoning County saw the lowest-ever numbers of new cases and hospitalizations per day,according to Mahoning County Public Health's COVID-19 dashboard. Though new cases have skyrocketed the county marked its highest single-day total, 67 new cases, on Oct. 15 daily hospitalizations have remained in the single digits.

"I think we have capacity now. We actively monitor this every day and, really, the numbers on the Mahoning County dashboard are really the best indicators,"Kravec said. "As a level-1 trauma center, we are prepared for increased numbers.

"But we need to make sure we reduce the hospitalizations so we continue to keep room for the people who are sick."

ICU bed occupancy in Mahoning County has hovered between about 65percent and 75percent for weeks, according to ODH. That includes non-COVID patients.But the portion of COVID-19 patients in the ICU rose steadily from 5.5 percent on Oct. 14 to 12.6 percent on Oct. 26.

Mahoning County on Tuesday reported 78.5 percent ICU occupancy, nearly meeting the state's 80 percent riskthreshold under theOhio Public Health Advisory Systemmap.

Trumbull County was upgraded to "red" on Thursday and is considered a high incidence county. In the past two weeks, Trumbull County reported 232 new cases, 117.19 new cases per capita.

It meets four risk indicators: new cases per capita; increasing numbers of new cases; the number of new cases occurring outside group settings such as long-term care or correctional facilities; and increasing outpatient visits for COVID-like illnesses.

Columbiana Countyremained at "orange," but is also considered a high incidence county. In the past two weeks, Columbiana County reported 119 new cases, 116.80 cases per capita.

It meets three risk indicators:new cases per capita; the number of new cases occurring outside group settings such as long-term care or correctional facilities; and increasing outpatient visits for COVID-like illnesses.

The seven-day moving average for positive tests was 6.7percent on Friday, the highest since July 14 and more than double the average 2.7percent reported on Sept. 24, which was the lowest since the pandemic began. That average percent peaked on April 20 at 23.6 percent.

Here's a breakdown of how each complete week of the pandemic has looked likein Ohio so far. Data in bold reflect the peaks in new cases, deaths, hospitalizations andICU admissions.

March 15 to March 21

March 22 to March 28

March 29 to April 4

April 5 to April 11

April 12 to April 18

April 19 to April 25

April 26 to May 2

May 3 to May 9

May 10 to May 16

May 17 to May 23

May 24 to May 30

May 31 to June 6

June 7to June 13

June 14to June 20

June 21 to June 27

June 28 to July 4

July 5 to July 11

July 12 to July 18

July 19 to July 25

July 26 to Aug.1

Aug.2 to Aug.8

Aug. 9 to Aug. 15

Aug. 16 to Aug. 22

Aug. 23 to Aug. 29

Aug. 30 to Sept. 5

Sept. 6 to Sept. 12

Sept. 13 to Sept. 19

Sept. 20 to Sept. 26

Sept. 27 to Oct. 3

Oct. 4 to Oct. 10

Oct. 11 to Oct. 17

Oct. 18 to Oct. 24

Oct. 25 to Oct. 31

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WEEKLY COVID-19 TRENDS | Coronavirus surging into election week - Mahoning Matters