Coronavirus Cases Trend Up Again In Ohio

COLUMBUS, OH — New COVID-19 cases continue to climb in Ohio.

In the past 24 hours, health officials have confirmed 2,216 new COVID-19 were confirmed among Ohioans. Over the past three weeks, Ohio has averaged 1,965 new cases per day.Hospitalizations related to the virus were also up Wednesday.

The spike comes as Ohio leaders work to convince the public vaccines are still safe and effective. The state paused administration of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine after six, extremely rare cases of blood clotting were discovered nationwide. More than 6.8 million J&J vaccines have been administered across the nation.

"I'd recommend this vaccine to family and friends. We're talking about six cases among 6.8 million people who were vaccinated. This is very rare," Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said. He received the J&J vaccine in early 2021.

Read more: J&J Vaccine Pause: How Ohio Is Responding

Don't miss the latest updates from health and government officials in Ohio on the coronavirus. Sign up for Patch newsletters and news alerts.

Here are all of Wednesday's COVID-19 numbers:

• New cases: 2,216.
• New hospitalizations: 121.
• New ICU admissions: 11.
• Total deaths: 18,917.

At least 987,768 Ohioans have contracted COVID-19 and recovered, the Ohio Department of Health said.

Nearly 36 percent of Ohioans have received at least the first part of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the state health department. Nearly 24 percent of Ohioans have received both COVID-19 vaccine shots.

As of Wednesday afternoon, 4.2 million Ohioans had received at least the first shot of the two-part COVID-19 vaccine; and 2.7 million Ohioans have completed the vaccination process.