Yost tests positive for COVID-19

One in every 233 people in Ohio tested positive in the past week

COLUMBUS » The office of Attorney General Dave Yost said he is doing fine after a positive test for the coronavirus, the first confirmed case among Ohio’s statewide office holders.

Yost, a Republican and the state’s top law enforcement official, contracted COVID-19 over the holidays, Steve Irwin, a Yost spokesman, said Thursday. The Columbus Dispatch first reported the diagnosis late Wednesday.

Yost is feeling well and continues to work from home, and has not had any contact with staff, Irwin said.

GOP Gov. Mike DeWine announced a positive test last year but a follow-up test hours later was negative.

The 7-day rolling average of daily new cases in Ohio did not increase over the past two weeks, going from 8,579 new cases per day on Dec. 23 to 7,438 new cases per day on Jan. 6, according to an Associated Press analysis of data provided by The COVID Tracking Project.

One in every 223 people in Ohio tested positive in the past week.

Unemployment claims remain high in Ohio as the economic impact of the pandemic continues, according to data released by the state.

Ohio’s human services agency said that 29,709 Ohioans filed initial unemployment claims for the week ending Jan. 2, a slight increase over the previous week.

The 7-day rolling average of daily new cases in Ohio did not increase over the past two weeks, going from 8,579 new cases per day on Dec. 23 to 7,438 new cases per day on Jan. 6.