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With COVID-19 cases hitting levels not seen since its peak a year ago, Gov. Mike DeWine is deploying 1,050 Ohio National Guard members, starting Monday, to hospitals, particularly those in areas hardest hit by the pandemic.
DeWine also said Friday the state was in discussions with an unnamed Ohio-based staffing agency to help bring nurses and other medical personnel from other parts of the country not as heavily impacted by COVID-19 here to provide assistance.
After about 22 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, DeWine said: "It's very understandable why people are burned out. It's very understandable why people are tired, and it's understandable why people are discouraged."
Many of the medical personnel will go to areas of northeast Ohio with DeWine mentioning Cleveland, Akron, Canton, Lorain and Wooster.
Of the 1,050 National Guard members, 150 will include medical personnel. The 900 others will be sent to hospitals for needed work such as patient transport, food services and housekeeping needs.
The contract with the unnamed staffing company hasn't been finalized, DeWine said. He didn't know how many medical employees would come to Ohio but said: "We are looking at a fairly big number."
Ohio is experiencing its highest level of COVID-19 cases in the past few weeks since the December 2020 peak.
"Early in the pandemic, our concern in our hospitals was about beds; it was about space," he said Friday. "Today, it is about personnel. Twenty-two months of this pandemic has taken its toll on our health care workers."
There were 4,784 people in Ohio hospitals with COVID-19 on Friday, the most at any given time since Dec. 22, 2020.
Some hospitals have canceled elective surgeries, DeWine said.
"Our high hospitalization count is being driven primarily by the unvaccinated," he said.
Also, 10,025 new COVID-19 cases were reported Friday in the state. It is the third straight day with cases exceeding 10,000, though Wednesday's count included backlogged cases that if not counted would have put the number at 9,718.
It's the first time since Dec. 10-12, 2020, with three straight days of cases exceeding 10,000 in the state. If Wednesday isn't counted, it would be the first time since Dec. 11-12, 2020, with two straight days with at least 10,000 reported cases.
December 2020 was the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio. This month is on pace to have the second most cases for a month.
Meanwhile, the Youngstown health district will distribute COVID-19 home test kits 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday and Dec. 29 at the Eugenia Atkinson Recreation Center, 903 Otis St.