COLUMBUS, Ohio — The COVID-19 case rate in Ohio declined again Thursday as the state reported 140.2 infections per 100,000 residents, which puts Ohio one step closer to a case rate of 50 that would prompt Gov. Mike DeWine to end all health orders.

The case rate fell by 9.9% this week after Ohio reported a case rate of 155.6 last week, and it has now declined for three consecutive weeks. The rate was 200 on April 15 and 185.8 on April 22.

Five Ohio counties continued to report case rates above 200: Lucas (249.1), Cuyahoga (216.1), Defiance (212.7), Adams (209.4) and Belmont (203.0).

Seven Ohio counties are now reporting case rates beow the reopening metric: Washington (46.7), Vinton (45.9), Tuscarawas (42.4), Coshocton (35.5), Carroll (26.0), Noble (20.8) and Morgan (20.7). The DeWine administration has said the health orders will not be lifted in counties that fall below the rate until the statewide metric drops below 50. 

Those counties were also the seven that were yellow Thursday on the state’s color-coded alert map, which indicates the severity of counties’ COVID-19 spread.

The map showed 43 counties were in the orange Thursday and 38 were red, which is an improvement since last week when 46 were red, 39 were orange and four were yellow.

Licking, Warren, Clermont, Ross, Athens, Putnam and Wyandot counties dropped out of the red into the orange. Gallia is the only county that moved in the wrong direction this week, rising from yellow to orange.

Washington, Tuscarawas, Coshocton and Morgan counties dropped from orange to yellow.

The case rates for Ohio’s 10 most populous counties: Lucas (249.1), Cuyahoga (216.1), Summit (189.5), Lorain (155.2), Franklin (145.7), Stark (130.3), Hamilton (127.8), Montgomery (125.3), Warren (98.5), and Butler (73.3).