COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP): The number of people in the hospital with COVID-19 hit a pandemic record high in Ohio on Thursday for the second day running, as data shows new coronavirus cases also remain at historic levels.
State data shows 5,466 people in the hospital with COVID-19, or one of every five patients. Gov. Mike DeWine and hospital administrators around the state say the vast majority of those in the hospital are unvaccinated.
Nearly 20,000 new coronavirus cases were reported Thursday by the Ohio Department of Health, just below the record set Wednesday.
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Ohio has risen over the past two weeks from 7,861.57 new cases per day on Dec. 14 to 13,590.71 new cases per day on Dec. 28, according to data collected by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.
The surge has created long lines outside health clinics and at pop-up sites as thousands seek out testing. So far this month, DeWine has deployed 2,400 members of the Ohio National Guard into hospitals to help overwhelmed staff members.
