Ohio health officials encourage vaccination amid surge in COVID-19 cases

WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) — More than 8,000 COVID-19 cases were reported in the state last week, raising concerns about the spread of the virus, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

“We are clearly seeing a slight increase,” said Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, state health director.

The department reported 21 deaths and 216 hospitalizations in Ohio due to COVID last week, compared to the three-week average of 17 deaths and 215 hospitalizations.

“These numbers clearly show that if you spread the virus to a family member or friend who is in a high-risk group, such as someone over 65 or people with a weakened immune system, a COVID-19 infection can pose a very serious threat to their health,” Vanderhoff said.

“The good news is that we have a very safe and very effective vaccine to prevent this disease and reduce its impact,” Vanderhoff added.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 data tracker, the U.S. test positivity rate for the week ending Aug. 10 was 18.1 percent, the highest rate in the country since January 2022.

“KP.3.1.1, of the Omikron family, is now the predominant SARS-CoV-2 variant circulating in the United States, having overtaken its ancestor KP.3 and earlier KP.2 variants,” the CDC said.

According to CDC data, the new variant accounted for 31 to 43 percent of clinical COVID-19 samples in the two-week period ending Aug. 17.

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