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COVID-19 cases in Ohio stay above 21-day average

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Ohio on Monday added 2,775 new COVID-19 cases, making the total 1,183,761. Since last week, the state leapt an additional 22,188 cases.

The total case number is well above the 2,511 21-day reported case average.

The death total in the state is 20,689, an increase of 75 since last week, according to the Ohio Department of Health. The ODH usually provides death information on Tuesdays and Fridays.

In Mahoning County, 36 new cases were added, making the total 23,710. Since last week, the county jumped 388 cases and two deaths.

In Trumbull County, 28 new cases were added, making the total 17,592. Last week, the ODH reported 17,348 cases -- an increase of 244 cases. Death totals in the county rose by one since last week, as well.

In Columbiana County, 16 new cases were added and the total sits at 9,807. The ODH reported 9,535 cases last week -- an increase of 272 cases. Also, no additional deaths were reported since last week.

In Youngstown, with the number of COVID-19 cases in Youngstown nearly quadrupling since the end of July -- rising from 14 per week to 50 now -- Mayor Jamael Tito Brown is mandating masks be worn in all city-owned buildings starting today.

The requirement is for all people -- vaccinated and unvaccinated, he said.

Brown made the announcement with Youngstown Health Commissioner Erin Bishop on Monday during a news conference at the Covelli Centre, which is among the facilities where the mask requirement is in effect.

Bishop said she was on a conference call with Gov. Mike DeWine early Monday, and DeWine "was really encouraging us to get our schools on board for masking," she said.

She noted the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown imposed more strict requirements Friday for students in Catholic schools in the five-county area, requiring masks after some of their schools were open only one day. The new policy was a change from the policy at the beginning of August, to allow parents to decide whether to have their children wear a mask.

"As we see the delta variant increasing and affecting our children, this is really important to do this because children 11 and under still do not have the ability to get the vaccine, so we want to protect our kids. At the beginning we were protecting our elderly and our loved ones and our grandparents. Now we need to start protecting our young ones," she said.

To those who don't want to be required to wear a mask, Brown said: "Get vaccinated. Once we all get vaccinated, we can look at life a little differently and we won't have to wear these masks."

He urged other government leaders to also establish mask mandates.

Starting at /week.