Milestone reached: Ohio COVID-19 hospital patient count drops below 1,000 for first time since early August

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Wednesday marked the first time in nearly eight months that fewer than 1,000 patients in Ohio were hospitalized with COVID-19.

The Ohio Hospital Association, which conducts a daily survey, reported 971 COVID-19 patients, down dramatically from the peak of 6,749 on Jan. 10.

This continues Ohio’s downward trend of COVID-19 cases since December and January’sOhio’s omicron surge. Since that time, there has been an 82% decrease in patients with COVID-19. At one time, 1-in-4 patients hospitalized for whatever reason had COVID-19; now, coronavirus patients account for just 1-in-20.

Of the 971 hospitalized COVID-19 patients Wednesday, 196 were in intensive care units, an 85% decrease in the last 60 days.

Southwest Ohio has the most hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the state, with 237, followed by Central Ohio with 169.

Northeast Ohio has experienced the greatest 60-day change, with a 90% decrease in COVID-19 related patients, dipping to 167 in the five-county region of Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, and Medina.

The 40-49 age group has experienced the greatest reduction in COVID-19 patient admissions, with a 45.5% reduction from the week before and an 86.6% reduction over the last eight weeks. Vaccinations were first available to this age group on Mar. 19, 2021.

Since the peak at 6,749 patients statewide on Jan. 10, hospitalizations have fallen by approximately 1,000 cases each week.