Fairfield County's COVID cases fall 28.9%; Ohio cases plummet 37.4%

Mike Stucka
·3 min read

Ohio reported far fewer coronavirus cases in the week ending Sunday, adding 122,068 new cases. That's down 37.4% from the previous week's tally of 194,879 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Ohio ranked 42nd among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week coronavirus cases in the United States decreased 14.9% from the week before, with 4,770,122 cases reported. With 3.51% of the country's population, Ohio had 2.56% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, 27 states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.

Many counties did not report during data during the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, disrupting the current and previous weeks' statistics. Week-to-week comparisons are skewed and these numbers will be unreliable even as they're accurate to what states reported.

Fairfield County reported 2,138 cases and zero deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it had reported 3,006 cases and six deaths. Throughout the pandemic it has reported 35,679 cases and 349 deaths.

Across Ohio, cases fell in 83 counties, with the best declines in Franklin County, with 13,902 cases from 24,506 a week earlier; in Hamilton County, with 10,406 cases from 17,112; and in Cuyahoga County, with 4,157 cases from 10,493.

>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases

Ohio ranked 43rd among states in share of people receiving at least one shot, with 62.1% of its residents at least partially vaccinated. The national rate is 75.5%, a USA TODAY analysis of CDC data shows. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are the most used in the United States, require two doses administered a few weeks apart.

In the week ending Sunday, Ohio reported administering another 221,716 vaccine doses, including 69,006 first doses. In the previous week, the state administered 210,326 vaccine doses, including 43,682 first doses. In all, Ohio reported it has administered 16,763,126 total doses.

Within Ohio, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Scioto County with 2,261 cases per 100,000 per week; Lawrence County with 2,020; and Marion County with 1,870. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.

Adding the most new cases overall were Franklin County, with 13,902 cases; Hamilton County, with 10,406 cases; and Montgomery County, with 8,054. Weekly case counts rose in five counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in Scioto, Lawrence and Belmont counties.

In Ohio, 18 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 251 people were reported dead.

A total of 2,506,175 people in Ohio have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began, and 31,987 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States 70,700,678 people have tested positive and 866,540 people have died.

>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States

Ohio's COVID-19 hospital admissions falling

USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, Jan. 23.

Likely COVID patients admitted in the state:

  • Last week: 7,833

  • The week before that: 9,360

  • Four weeks ago: 6,352

Likely COVID patients admitted in the nation:

  • Last week: 188,864

  • The week before that: 197,883

  • Four weeks ago: 99,261

Hospitals in 25 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 22 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 30 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.

The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.

Peyton Roth gets her COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccine clinic for students, aged 5-11, on the Alabama State University campus in Montgomery on Jan. 21. The clinic was run as a partnership between Alabama State University, Montgomery Public Schools and the Alabama Department of Public Health.
Peyton Roth gets her COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccine clinic for students, aged 5-11, on the Alabama State University campus in Montgomery on Jan. 21. The clinic was run as a partnership between Alabama State University, Montgomery Public Schools and the Alabama Department of Public Health.

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Fairfield County COVID cases increased by 2,138 this week