On October 20, Governor Mike DeWine announced that hospitals across Ohio are currently treating 1,221 COVID-19 patients which is the most hospitalized patients at one time since the start of the pandemic. A total of 216 of these hospitalizations were reported in the past 24 hours which is the highest number of hospitalizations reported in a single day and more than 50 hospitalizations more than the previous high in mid-July.
Ohio is also recording an increase in ICU admissions and ventilator utilization.
“So far, Ohio’s hospitals still have adequate remaining capacity to care for everyone who is sick, but our hospitalizations are already breaking records, and we are not seeing any signs of Ohio’s case numbers slowing down,” said Gov. DeWine. “If we don’t buckle down, wear our masks, and take care of each other, I am very concerned that our hospitals will begin to fill up. We pushed this virus down before, and it’s up to all of us to do it again.”
Ohio also reported 2,015 new COVID-19 cases since October 19. Sixty-nine of Ohio’s 88 counties have a high incidence of COVID-19 spread, meaning their rate of cases is more than 100 cases per 100,000 population in the past two weeks.