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While "real progress" has been made in combating COVID-19, Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, the Ohio Department of Health's director, said cases in the state remain high.
"Our optimism needs to be tempered by the fact that the numbers on the ground continue to tell us that we are most certainly not out of the woods yet," he said Friday.
The ODH reported an increase this week in COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents to 410.5 from 354.3 last week. It was the first increase in cases per 100,000 in six weeks.
Also, all 88 counties in the state are well higher than 100 cases per 100,000 residents, which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention consider to be high-transmission areas for COVID-19, he said.
"Our downward trend has plateaued and now even increased," Vanderhoff said. "During the last few days, our COVID cases remain very high."
The state has reported at least 4,900 cases daily for the past four days. It's the first time that's happened since Oct. 5 to 8. Friday, 5,379 cases were reported.
The delta variant, which largely caused the increase in cases starting in late July, "will relentlessly seek out anyone" who is unvaccinated, Vanderhoff said.
Asked if the state should expect a surge of COVID-19 cases in the winter, Vanderhoff said Friday, "We are approaching a point in this pandemic where I think you'll be able to look at it and think of it as much more of an endemic illness that does not cause serious hospitalizations and deaths at the rate we've seen over the past 18 months. But we're not there yet."
The number of reported COVID-19 deaths remains high. Friday, 361 deaths were added, including nine in Trumbull, eight in Mahoning and three in Columbiana counties, according to the ODH.
Vanderhoff encouraged those who haven't been vaccinated to get inoculated against COVID-19, as well as those eligible for booster shots to get them.
Anyone who received the Johnson & Johnson one-dose vaccine is eligible to get an additional dose of any of the vaccines two months after the initial shot, he said.
Among those who got the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, people at least 65 years old can receive a booster at least six months after the second dose as well as anyone at least 18 years old who has underlying medical conditions or works or lives in a place with high-risk COVID-19 settings, Vanderhoff said.
The state started offering a kid-sized dose of the vaccine Nov. 3 to those between the ages of 5 and 11.
"We're very pleased with the enthusiasm that we've seen for the vaccine of those 5 to 11," Vanderhoff said.
ODH statistics Friday showed 4.05 percent of Ohioans between the ages of 5 and 11 had started the vaccination process. That is 40,368 of the 997,570 people in that age group in the state.
Vanderhoff also spoke Friday about the Vax-2-School scholarship program.
The state is trying to incentivize younger people to get vaccinated because fewer of them get the shots than the general population.
The program will award $2 million in scholarships to those between the age of 5 and 25, including 150 $10,000 scholarships and five $100,000 scholarships.
Ohioans can register as soon as the first dose of the vaccine is administered with a Nov. 21 initial deadline. To register, go to ohiovax2school.com or call 833-427-5634.
There will be two drawings for the $10,000 prizes -- 75 in each drawing -- on Nov. 22 and 29.
If a person registers by Nov. 28, they're eligible for the second drawing.
Also, the state will award the $100,000 scholarships daily Nov. 29 to Dec. 3.
While Nov. 28 is the deadline to be eligible for the five $100,000 scholarships, a person can apply by Dec. 1 to be eligible for the last two drawings.
The money comes from unused federal COVID-19 relief funds.