Ohio Omicron Surge Slowing, 'Light At End Of Tunnel' Seen: ODH
COLUMBUS, OH — The state's health leaders had a simple message to Ohioans Thursday about the current COVID-19 surge: "There is light at the end of the tunnel."
"We are continuing to see many signs of improvement in some of Ohio's first and hardest hit areas during this dramatic surge in COVID-19 cases, which of course have been fueled by the omicron variant," said Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, director of the Ohio Department of Health.
In December 2021, Greater Cleveland was at the forefront of the omicron wave. Early that month, Ohio was seeing 7,000 to 8,000 new COVID-19 cases per day. As the variant spread through northern Ohio, Vanderhoff said, the state's daily new case average jumped to 20,000.
"As these cases skyrocketed, record numbers of people headed to the hospital for testing or treatment, crowding emergency rooms, filling our hospitals and forcing postponement of many elective procedures," Vanderhoff said.
On Jan. 10, Ohio hit a record 6,749 COVID-19 hospitalizations. That number has been falling ever since, Vanderhoff said. No region has seen more improvement than northern Ohio, where COVID-19 hospitalizations are plummeting.
As of Jan. 26, there were 5,004 COVID-19 hospitalizations across Ohio. A drop that Vanderhoff described as significant and swift.
"There's no question that omicron has hit us hard this winter coming right on the heels of a large surge driven by the delta variant," Vanderhoff said. "But we're cautiously optimistic that we may be reaching the other side."
Slowing Down In Other Parts of Ohio
Northwest Ohio, like Greater Cleveland, is seeing a decline in new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, according to Dr. Brian Kaminski, vice president of quality and patient safety, ProMedica.
The northwest region is approximately one week behind the Cleveland decline, Kaminski added. Cases and hospitalizations have dropped for seven days straight in the Toledo area.
Southwest Ohio is closer to two weeks behind the Greater Cleveland decline, according to Dr. Stephen Feagins, chief clinical officer for Mercy Health – Cincinnati, and Hamilton County Public Health medical director.
"We peaked in January," he said during a news conference on Thursday. He suggested cases and hospitalizations stabilized last week. Hospital admissions may now be trending downward. Both Feagins and Kaminski commented on the importance of being vaccinated against COVID-19.
"What was said about the vaccine [during the delta surge] is even more apparent with the effects of omicron," Feagins said. With vaccine boosted individuals, he said, there have been fewer break-through COVID-19 cases and illness have been less severe.
For Ohioans to protect themselves against future COVID-19 surge, the doctors said, vaccination was the best route to safety.
This article originally appeared on the Cleveland Patch
