Ohio near 11-month high in COVID hospitalizations
More Ohioans were hospitalized for COVID-19 this week than at any time since last winter’s surge in cases, a development that could worsen still with more cold weather and holidays approaching.
Statewide, 3,988 patients were hospitalized as of Wednesday. The last time more Ohioans were hospitalized was Jan. 12, when 4,000 were being treated across the state, according to data from the Ohio Hospital Association (OHA).
The surge in hospitalizations comes on the heels of a summer and fall wave of new admissions spurred by the highly infectious delta variant of COVID-19. This latest statewide spike in hospitalizations, which data shows began in early November, has already surpassed the one from late summer and early fall.
“With the winter season, I don’t want to say it was expected, but there was always a concern it could happen,” John Palmer, spokesman for the Ohio Hospital Association, said of the surge. “It seems like hospitals have been managing high capacities since summer ... they never really got a reprieve. It never really settled back down.”
As of Wednesday, Ohio had seen a 61% increase in hospitalizations in three weeks and the hospital association estimates one in five people hospitalized have tested positive for the virus.
The rise in hospitalization varies across the state of Ohio.
So far, central Ohio hasn’t seen hospitalizations exceed levels from the spike of late-summer and early fall. On Wednesday, 457 people were hospitalized in central Ohio, which was actually down from a recent high of 477 on Tuesday, hospital association data shows.
Instead, it appears northeastern Ohio is bearing the brunt of the virus.
In that region, which includes Cleveland, 891 people were hospitalized as of Wednesday. The last time more people were hospitalized was on Dec. 23, 2020, when 917 patients were being cared for, according to the hospital association.
An eastern region of the state that includes Akron and Canton had 1,061 people hospitalized Wednesday, which is more than anytime since the pandemic began, data shows.
The latest spike comes with about 52.8% of the state fully vaccinated against the virus, a booster rollout already in full swing and the threat of the omicron variant looming.
“Your best defense is to get vaccinated,” Summit County Public Health Department spokeswoman Marlene Martin said on Wednesday. “Even if there’s a different variant of the virus, you still have some immunity if you are vaccinated.”
Hospitalizations in southwest Ohio have been “trending in the wrong direction” since mid-november, Hamilton County Public Health Commissioner Greg Kesterman said Wednesday. At midweek, 463 people with COVID-19 were in hospitals across the 14-county Cincinnati region, which includes northern Kentucky and southeast Indiana.
Kesterman said positive test results, which have been rising for the past two weeks as well, are close to 10% in the
Cincinnati region, and the spread of the virus remains severe at 180 cases for every 100,000 people. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines severe spread at 50 cases for every 100,000 people.
It’s possible, Palmer said, that Thanksgiving celebrations that took place last week could yield yet another increase in cases and, in turn, hospitalizations. The next week or two should show what influence the holiday had on cases and hospitalizations, Palmer said.
With Christmas, New Year’s Day and several months of people spending time indoors ahead, it’s possible Ohio’s hospitalizations could again approach the record of 5,308 hospitalizations set on Dec. 15, 2020.
If that happens, Palmer said Ohioans should expect another wave of hospital changes and restrictions.
For example, Palmer said hospitals could again limit visitors for certain patients. It’s possible patients may also see procedures rescheduled again as hospitals try to handle more COVID-19 patients.
“It really is concerning because with cold months ahead and the holiday season coming up ... if behaviors aren’t changing, you’re definitely going to see this huge influx of care happening,” Palmer said. “We’ve managed surges in the past, and we’ve had to make a lot of difficult decisions. We just want to make sure we stay ahead of everything.”
The Enquirer’s senior news director, Jackie Borchardt, contributed to this story. mfilby@dispatch.com @Maxfilby