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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WJW) – The Ohio Department of Health held a press conference Thursday as local cases of COVID-19 have started ticking up.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports it is tracking several different variants.

The Ohio Hospital Association reports admissions over the last week are up in every age group. The highest jump is in kids under 17, with a 38.9% increase in admissions over the last week.

OHA reports 156 people across the state were admitted with COVID-19 Wednesday. There are 865 people in Ohio being treated for coronavirus who are hospitalized.

Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, ODH Director, spoke with Cleveland Clinic Infectious Disease Chairman, Dr. Steven Gordon.

They both expressed concern about a new wave of COVID in the winter months combined with a resurgence of flu.

The CDC is tracking variants including:

  • Alpha (B.1.1.7 and Q lineages)
  • Beta (B.1.351 and descendent lineages)
  • Gamma (P.1 and descendent lineages)
  • Delta (B.1.617.2 and AY lineages)
  • Epsilon (B.1.427 and B.1.429)
  • Eta (B.1.525)
  • Iota (B.1.526)
  • Kappa (B.1.617.1)
  • 1.617.3
  • Mu (B.1.621, B.1.621.1)
  • Zeta (P.2)

According to Dr. Vanderhoff, about a dozen people in Ohio die every day due to COVID-19 complications.

He also said Ohio has passed the grim milestone of 40,000 coronavirus deaths.

The doctors are encouraging people to get their booster shots. Dr. Gordon says the bivalent booster targets the new omicron variants.

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Archived blog:

  • Dr. Vanderhoff says overall COVID cases are down
  • About a dozen Ohioans die from COVID every day – Dr. Vanderhoff
  • 40,000 people in Ohio have died from COVID – Dr. Vanderhoff
  • Vanderhoff says we could see another wave in the cold months, coinciding with the holidays
  • Vanderhoff says new variants are showing they can break through natural immunity.
  • He’s encouraging people to get their booster shot.
  • The boosters target new omicron variants.
  • Dr. Gordon said it’s especially concerning heading into winter months with the flu and RSV.
  • Shortness of breath, fatigue, brain fog are 3 most common symptoms of COVID, Dr. Vanderhoff says
  • Some estimates are that 1 in 3 people who have gotten COVID suffer from “Long COVID,” symptoms that don’t go away
  • Doctors are also concerned about a resurgence of the flu this season, Dr. Vanderhoff says.
  • Bivalent is offering protection against new variants, Dr. Gordon says.
  • Dr. Gordon says COVID shots may become annual, like flu shots