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Ashland County's COVID cases up 45.5%; Ohio cases surge 45%

Mike Stucka USA TODAY NETWORK
Making Sacrifices 2 of 8 Dimitri screams with delight when he gets the answer. Luis and Irene Ferrolho have spent most of the past 15 months of the pandemic at home with their children, twins Alexandra and Dimitri, 8 years old. Because Dimitri suffers from severe disability due to being born premature, they can’t risk exposure to the Covid-19 virus. Irene had to quit her job and help the children with virtual learning and therapy and Luis does his work online from home. While they have grown closer to each other, they do look forward to less isolation when it is safer for Dimitri

New coronavirus cases leaped in Ohio in the week ending Sunday, rising 45% as 15,970 cases were reported. The previous week had 11,013 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Ohio ranked 25th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States increased 21.4% from the week before, with 605,127 cases reported. With 3.51% of the country's population, Ohio had 2.64% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, 47 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.

Ashland County reported 48 cases and zero deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 33 cases and zero deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 12,109 cases and 218 deaths.

Within Ohio, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Ashtabula County with 332 cases per 100,000 per week; Lorain County with 229; and Union County with 219. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.

Adding the most new cases overall were Franklin County, with 2,513 cases; Cuyahoga County, with 2,315 cases; and Summit County, with 1,058. Weekly case counts rose in 74 counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in Franklin, Cuyahoga and Summit counties.

>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases

Ohio ranked 43rd among states in share of people receiving at least one shot, with 63.6% of its residents at least partially vaccinated. The national rate is 77.7%, a USA TODAY analysis of CDC data shows. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are the most used in the United States, require two doses administered a few weeks apart.

In the week ending Wednesday, Ohio reported administering another 82,750 vaccine doses, including 7,755 first doses. In the previous week, the state administered 93,811 vaccine doses, including 7,571 first doses. In all, Ohio reported it has administered 17,871,601 total doses.

Across Ohio, cases fell in 11 counties, with the best declines in Ross County, with 39 cases from 51 a week earlier; in Pickaway County, with 47 cases from 57; and in Highland County, with 21 cases from 29.

In Ohio, 57 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, zero people were reported dead.

A total of 2,724,041 people in Ohio have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 38,550 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 82,468,606 people have tested positive and 999,602 people have died.

>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States

Ohio's COVID-19 hospital admissions rising

USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, May 15.

Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:

  • Last week: 1,496
  • The week before that: 1,199
  • Four weeks ago: 1,000

Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:

  • Last week: 49,753
  • The week before that: 44,912
  • Four weeks ago: 37,527

 

Hospitals in 45 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 29 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 41 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.

The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.