CLEVELAND — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention marked five northern Ohio counties for having the highest COVID-19 transmission in the state.
The counties included Cuyahoga, Lorain, Wood, Lucas and Ashtabula.
In the CDC's last update Thursday to its color-coded map tracking COVID-19 spread, all five counties were in the orange, which is the highest rate. Eighteen others were in the yellow, the second-highest level of spread, and most of the state remained in the green, which is the lowest.
The counties in the yellow were more concentrated toward the northern part of the state, and a handful are northwest of Columbus.
The five orange counties have been in the high level for two weeks in a row.
According to the Ohio Department of Health's latest update Thursday, the state documented 19,546 new cases this week, which is a jump from recent months. The week of March 24, 3,668 new cases were reported, and on April 21, there were 6,890 new cases that week.
Ohio Health Director Dr. Bruce Vandherhoff last week encouraged residents to get boosters and make plans for testing and treatment.
“Although COVID-19 isn’t going away any time soon, we more and more have the tools to live with this virus much more effectively provided we utilize the tools we have effectively,” Vanderhoff said.
Over the last three weeks, the Ohio Hospital Association documented a 55% rise in COVID hospitalizations, and a 31% rise in ICU admissions for COVID patients.
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