The Hamilton County Health Department noted an alarming trend on Thursday: deaths among those under the age of 50 have surged in the past three months.

A release says during last winter's surge, which then represented the height of the pandemic, 4 percent of deaths were age 50 or younger.

Since the beginning of July, 22 percent of deaths have been among those age 50 or younger.

"We extend our sympathy to all of our community members who have lost a loved one to COVID-19,” says Health Department Interim Administrator Sabrina Novak. “A greater number of young people are being hospitalized and dying compared to last year. We strongly recommend that anyone eligible get vaccinated to protect themselves from becoming seriously ill with COVID-19.”

A total of 594 people have died in Hamilton County from COVID-19 since the pandemic began.

The Health Department "strongly recommends" that anyone who is eligible get a COVID-19 vaccine to protect themselves from getting seriously ill from COVID-19.

You can find out where you can get vaccinated here.