Ohio Capital Journal
More than 3,000 Ohioans per day are contracting COVID-19 on average, the highest the rate has been since early February.
Over the last month, hospitalizations increased by between 83% and 375% by age group, according to data from the Ohio Hospital Association.
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As children go back to school, more students are testing positive. Comparing the week of July 4 with the week of August 25, COVID-19 infections leapt by 909% among all Ohioans and 827% among school-age Ohioans, according to separate data from the Ohio Department of Health.
While vaccination has modestly picked up pace, Ohio’s coverage sags well below the national average. About 52% of the state has received at least one vaccine dose, compared to 61% nationally, according to a New York Times data tracker. Only 12 states have a lower rate.
The state’s hottest spots for infection are toward the southern border, where the vaccination rate sits between 30% and 40%.
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All told, more than 65,000 Ohioans have been hospitalized with COVID-19. More than 20,700 have died.
“With many districts going back to school last week, the number of illnesses from Monday, Aug. 23 is troubling,” said ODH Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff in a news release. “As students statewide continue to return to their classrooms, this high figure should be yet another indicator to parents and families that the best protection from COVID-19 is for those 12 and older to choose to be vaccinated, and for those who aren’t vaccinated to wear masks.”
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Also from Ohio Capital Journal:
A boy with an autoimmune disease was ready to learn in person. Then his state banned mask mandates
This story was originally published by ProPublica.
When the coronavirus first swept across Florida last year, Angela Gambrel did everything she could to lock down her home in Sumter County, northeast of Tampa.
Her 10-year-old grandson Jayden has a rare brain disease that disrupts his immune system and impairs his memory, making it harder for him to process complex tasks. His doctors urged her to take every possible precaution against the virus. No more supermarket runs. No more football scrimmages with his Special Olympics team.
Jayden’s school, like others across the state, halted in-person instruction, distributing worksheets to students to complete at home. The only time Jayden was around other people was when he had bloodwork done or underwent his monthly treatment about an hour away at Tampa General Hospital.
When schools reopened last fall, Gambrel, who’s been Jayden’s guardian since he was a toddler, kept him and his brother home, unwilling to risk exposing Jayden to a virus the world was just beginning to understand.
But without the intensive in-person instruction that he had been receiving for years, Jayden struggled, unable to keep up with his coursework. READ MORE
