CLEVELAND (WJW)– More than 90 percent of Ohio’s economy is back open following the shutdown that started in March to slow the spread of coronavirus.
(See the state’s response to coronavirus, reopening dates and more in the timeline below)
According to DeWine, last week was the first week of increasing hospitalizations in Ohio. From June 21 to June 27, Ohio had approximately 500 to 550 total COVID-19 patients in hospitals statewide. This week, there are approximately 650 coronavirus patients in hospitals in the statte.
“Thankfully, ICU and ventilator utilization at the state level is still holding steady, but we are seeing increases in some areas of the state, such as in the Cleveland, Dayton, and Cincinnati areas,” DeWine said. “In other regions of the state, COVID-19 hospital occupancy had been declining but now appears to have leveled off.”
There is also an increase in positive cases, but the governor said it’s not solely because of more testing.
“Ohio’s positivity rate has increased slightly as our testing totals have increased,” he said. “If the spread of this virus remained at a low level, more testing should show a lower positivity. The increase of our positivity rate, even as we are doing more testing, means that we are likely picking up signs of broader community spread.”