CLEVELAND, Ohio — Emergency room visits and deaths from COVID-19 are increasing, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While COVID-19-related deaths and hospitalizations remain low compared to previous peaks, they have been increasing this summer.
CDC data from June 16 to June 22 shows emergency department visits due to COVID-19 increased by more than 23% and deaths from COVID increased by 14.3%.
Genetic analysis of the circulating virus shows that the increase in COVID-19 infections is mainly driven by the new FLiRT variants of the virus, especially KP.3 and KP.2, which account for more than 50% of all current cases.
Changes in the dominant strains of the circulating virus are to be expected, the CDC said. FLiRT variants do not appear to cause more severe illness, but a sore throat is the most common symptom in people who test positive for FLiRT variants, which could easily be attributed to another cause or lead some to mistake COVID-19 infection for another type of viral illness.
Over the past week, the number of new COVID-19 cases in Ohio rose from 1,745 to 2,049, marking the fifth straight week that the state’s COVID-19 case count has increased, according to data released Wednesday by the Ohio Department of Health. And the weekly increase came despite the data being reported a day earlier than normal — with only six days of data — due to the Thursday holiday.
The number of cases has been increasing since the beginning of June, after a period of decline in early January.
At least 1,376,150 Ohioans have received the updated one-dose COVID-19 vaccine, an increase of 1,350 people from the previous week, the state reported. That represents 11.8% of the state’s population.
The total number of COVID-19 cases in Ohio has risen to 3,756,672 since the beginning of 2020.
- · Previously: June 27 Ohio COVID-19 Update
Eighty-three Ohioans were hospitalized for the first time in the past week, bringing the total since the start of the pandemic in 2020 to 151,878. One additional person was admitted to the ICU, bringing the total since 2020 to 15,821.
The state health department reported eight additional deaths from COVID-19, bringing the total to 44,018. Reporting of deaths sometimes lags by weeks.
Summary of July 3rd
- Total number of reported cases: 3,756,672, an increase of 2,049.
- Total number of people with an updated vaccine: 1,376,150, an increase of 1,350.
- Total number of reported deaths: 44,018, an increase of 8.
- Total number of reported hospital admissions: 151,878, an increase of 83.
- Total number of reported ICU admissions: 15,821, an increase of 1%.
Summary June 27
- Total number of reported cases: 3,754,623, an increase of 1,745.
- Total number of people with an updated vaccine: 1,374,800, an increase of 1,521.
- Total number of reported deaths: 44,010, an increase of 9.
- Total number of reported hospital admissions: 151,795, an increase of 84.
- Total number of reported ICU admissions: 15,820, an increase of 1%.