'Virus Becoming More Contagious,' Ohio Official Says

COLUMBUS, OH — Variant strains of COVID-19 are in Ohio, one of the state's lead medical officials said Thursday.

Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, the chief medical officer for the Ohio Department of Health, said the new strains of the virus are more contagious than predecessors. Ohio has joined the CDC's effort to increase surveillance on COVID-19 variants, Vanderhoff announced.

"We're now able to do 100s of variant tests every day," he said, crediting the program for the testing increase.

COVID-19 variants from the U.K. and Brazil are either in Ohio or neighboring states, Vanderhoff said. The U.K. variant has been confirmed at a state-run lab and at county labs throughout the state. It's unclear how prevalent the virus is in Ohio, but the variant will likely be the dominant strand by late March or early April, he added.

Other variants may also be emerging, Vanderhoff said. He noted that viruses evolve and change as they spread through populations.

"We'll continue to watch these variants very closely," Vanderhoff said. "We can all be encouraged by our work so far. They reflect our adherence to mask wearing and social distancing."

The COVID-19 vaccination process is ongoing, but is moving slowly. As the months roll by, Ohioans are understandably anxious, Vanderhoff noted, but must give the vaccination program time to reach everyone.

"It's very important that we don't declare victory too quickly. Vaccines are working very well, but our national vaccination effort needs more time. We have to keep up our work of preventing spread through masking and distancing," he said.

Currently, nearly 12 percent of Ohioans have received at least the first part of the COVID-19 vaccine, the state health department said Thursday.