COLUMBUS, Ohio — COVID-19 cases numbers have spiked dramatically in Columbus. The city's public health department said the outbreak of the virus has likely worsened, striking a different tone than last Thursday.

What You Need To Know


  • COVID-19 cases have spiked in Columbus

  • The average age of patients testing positive has skewed lower

  • Officials said increased testing doesn't fully account for the increase in cases

“Local COVID-19 cases are increasing in Columbus. While testing has also increased in our community, we don’t believe this is the only reason for the increase in cases,” a Columbus Public Health spokesperson said Monday.

Meanwhile, the average age of COVID-19 positive residents in Columbus has skewed lower. Columbus Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts wrote in a tweet Sunday that 46 percent of cases over the past several days were in the 20 to 39 age group. Columbus Public Health urged residents to wear face coverings in public, practice social distancing, wash their hands often and stay home if they are sick.

After several weeks of about 60 to 80 new cases per day, Columbus reported 136 cases on Wednesday, 177 cases on Thursday, 153 cases on Friday and 140 cases on Saturday. Sunday’s numbers were down slightly with 92 new cases reported, but that still marked a significant increase over the average number of new cases for the previous three Sundays—57.

The spike raises alarm amid heightened concern nationally as the outbreak of the virus continues to worsen in a number of states that had reopened sectors of their economies.

Since Friday, Florida, Texas and California have backtracked on their reopening plans, closing bars as cases spiked, while Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Sunday the “window is closing" for the country to control the virus.

When asked if Columbus Public Health might soon advise closings of sectors that have reopened in Columbus, a spokesperson said they are monitoring the outbreak closely and did not rule out the possibility.

“Columbus Public Health continues to monitor the local outbreak and will make policies and recommendations to protect the health of residents and prevent further spread of COVID-19 in our community.”

The good news: hospitalizations may not be spiking in Columbus.

A spokesperson for OhioHealth said its patient numbers have been relatively consistent over the last few weeks.

“Fortunately, many young people who get it do not require hospitalization, so we are not seeing that our patients are skewing younger at this time,” the spokesperson said.

In an interview Thursday, Roberts had said it was not clear that the spread virus was worsening in Columbus. At the time, case numbers had only increased slightly, and Roberts said that testing was likely responsible. 

Until this month, testing in Columbus had only been available to individuals who met Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria, which prioritized first responders and patients with symptoms. Now, no matter the person's occupation or if they're symptomatic, they can get a test without a doctor's order.

But the case numbers quickly turned bleaker and officials shifted tone. Gov. Mike DeWine said late last week that case numbers statewide showed a “big increase” and suggested the spread is getting worse.

On Sunday, the Ohio Department of Health reported 854 new COVID-19 cases, well greater than the 21-day average of 563 new cases. DeWine planned to give an update on the status of the virus in Ohio and the state's response in a briefing Monday afternoon.