Hospitalizations surpass fall peak statewide; local numbers climb more slowly

Hospitalizations have climbed higher statewide than the initial fall peak when the Delta variant first started spiking cases in our region.

On Friday, 3,997 people were in the hospital with COVID-19 in the state, which accounts for one in five people having the virus who are currently hospitalized, according to the Ohio Hospital Association.

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However, active hospitalizations locally in the Miami Valley region are still more than 100 below the fall peak in our area, with 281 people with COVID-19 currently in the hospital.  That accounts for one in eight people who are in the hospital having the virus.

The latest numbers show that while hospitalizations have gone up in recent weeks, the Miami Valley is seeing just over half of the hospitalizations our region saw during the December 2020 peak on the pandemic. That’s when there were 522 people in the hospital in the region that encompasses most of the Miami Valley.

The omicron COVID-19 variant has many in the healthcare industry seeking additional data.

Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff spoke briefly about the new Omicron variant that was recently discovered in the United States. He said, “It’s too early to tell if it will be worse or the impact it will have. Time will only tell the story.”

He continued by saying that the Delta variant of COVID-19 remains the dominate variant and the majority of the cases and hospitalizations.  “There are no signs that the vaccines will fail to protect,” Vanderhoff said.

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