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The number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 in Ohio declined for the second straight week and is at a level not seen since early September.
The state logged 560.5 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents for the period between Sept. 23 and Wednesday. The state was at 616.7 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 last week and at 698.7 cases two weeks ago.
But the latest number are 29 times higher than 13 weeks ago. Ohio was at 19.2 cases per 100,000 on July 8.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers 100 cases per 100,000 to be high transmission areas for COVID-19 and recommends face masks while indoors at public places. Ohio has 12 counties that have more than 1,000 cases per 100,000 residents, with the lowest among the state's 88 counties being Geauga with 283 cases per 100,000.
Last week, 17 counties were above 1,000 cases per 100,000 and there were 30 two weeks ago.
The state was at 683.3 cases per 100,000 three weeks ago, 582.4 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents four weeks ago and 472.4 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 five weeks ago.
The delta variant among the unvaccinated, which spreads quickly, almost entirely is to blame for the increase Ohio has seen in cases since mid-July, Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, director of the Ohio Department of Health, has said, but acknowledged a reduction recently.
Mahoning and Columbiana rose this week in the ranking of the state's 88 counties for COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents even though Mahoning saw a decline in cases. Trumbull dropped four spots this week among the state's counties with a small reduction in cases per 100,000 residents.
Mahoning is at 55th in the state this week with 670.4 cases per 100,000 residents. It was 53rd last week with 703.2 cases per 100,000 residents. It was 59th two weeks ago with 714.5 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents. It was 68th three weeks ago with 630.6 COVID-19 cases, 71st four weeks ago with 467 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents and 66th five weeks ago with 377.8 COVID-19 cases.
Trumbull is 61st this week with 621.8 cases per 100,000. It's the first time in six weeks it went down in the county ranking. Trumbull was 65th last week with 611.7 cases per 100,000. It was at 76th two weeks ago with 561.2 cases per 100,000, 80th three weeks ago with 484.9 cases per 100,000, 85th four weeks ago with 322.8 cases per 100,000 residents and 86th four weeks ago with 266.2 cases per 100,000.
Columbiana moved up this week to 24th with 818.6 cases per 100,000 residents. It was 28th last week with 860.8 cases per 100,000 residents. Columbiana was 34th two weeks ago with 922.6 cases per 100,000 residents. It was 52nd three weeks ago with 776.4 cases per 100,000 residents, 58th four weeks ago with 552.6 cases per 100,000 and 61st five weeks ago with 413.2 cases.
The ODH measures cases per 100,000 residents among counties to get a fair comparison because total cases would result in more-populous counties ranking higher.
COVID-19 DATA
The 6,651 COVID-19 cases Friday is up from the daily average of 5,842 for the past 21 days, according to the ODH. It was the fifth straight day to see an increase in reported cases.
Friday's total includes 454 cases in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties combined.
The state had a total of 1,458,747 COVID-19 cases as of Friday with 1,324,221 presumed recovered and 22,819 deaths.
The ODH usually provides death information on Tuesdays and Fridays. There were 329 additional COVID-19 deaths since Tuesday, including five each in Mahoning and Trumbull and seven in Columbiana counties.
There were 546 total COVID-19 deaths reported in the state this week.
While the deaths didn't all occur this week due to delays in reporting deaths, it's the most deaths reported in the state in a week since the week of Jan. 3 to 9 and the fifth-most ever for a week since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.
Mahoning County had 29,247 total COVID-19 cases as of Friday, with 25,991 presumed recovered and 663 deaths.
Trumbull County had 21,798 total COVID-19 cases as of Friday, with 19,139 presumed recovered and 539 deaths.
Columbiana County had 13,068 total COVID-19 cases as of Friday, with 11,361presumed recovered and 256 deaths.
VACCINATIONS
There were 6,358,596 people, 54.40 percent of the state's population, who at least had started getting inoculated as of 6 a.m. Friday, including 7,042 in the previous 24 hours, according to the ODH.
In Mahoning County, 52.40 percent of the population (119,819 people) had received at least one dose, while 50.18 percent of the population in Trumbull County (99,360 people) and 42.78 percent in Columbiana County (43,584 people) had as of 6 a.m. Friday, according to the ODH.
There were 5,919,779 people, 50.64 percent of the state's population, who finished the vaccinations as of 6 a.m. Friday, including 7,767 in the prior 24 hours.
In Mahoning County, 48.89 percent of the population (111,819 people) had completed the process, while 46.46 percent of the population in Trumbull (92,002 people) and 40 percent of the population in Columbiana (40,768 people) had as of 6 a.m. Friday.
The Trumbull County Combined Health District will have COVID-19 vaccination clinics at the Eastwood Mall in Niles 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday.
It also will have a Pfizer booster vaccination clinic at the mall 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday.