COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio health officials reported "wonderful news" on Thursday, citing a more than 90% drop in COVID-19 cases since first reporting a peak linked to the omicron variant back in January.
At the height of the omicron surge, Ohio health officials reported as many as 20,000 new COVID-19 cases in a given day. The daily average of cases reported over the past three weeks now sits around 2,800.
Statewide, the rate of people testing positive for the virus is 174 per 100,000 residents.
"That's more than a 90% drop from omicron's peak," Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said Thursday.
As of Wednesday, 1,345 people in Ohio were hospitalized with the the virus; the lowest amount health officials have reported since August, according to Vanderhoff.
Cuyahoga County, once the epicenter for the omicron surge, is now reporting less than 100 cases per 100,000 residents. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention consider anything above 100 to be high community transmission.
Ohio National Guard members deployed to hospitals throughout the state to offer assistance at the height of the pandemic. Exactly two months after the start of that mission, guard members have finally left the two remaining locations where assistance was being provided this week.
"This is all wonderful news, and it's a welcome relief for us," said Vanderhoff. "It may be especially meaningful for those in our hospitals who have been working so hard now for nearly two years."
Even so, Vanderhoff warned Ohioans not to let their guard down yet.
"As much as we look forward to declaring that we're in the all clear, the data still point toward caution," said Vanderhoff.
Last week, Mayor Andrew Ginther and other city leaders noted the recent decline in both hospitalizations and cases, saying they could begin to explore lifting city mask mandates in the “coming weeks” as a result. Cities like Bexley have since lifted the mandates.
Franklin County moved into the orange zone on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention map Wednesday for the first time since the delta variant was detected, meaning the county is no longer considered to have a high level of transmission.
While the light at the end of Ohio's pandemic tunnel appears to be getting brighter, OhioHealth Director of Infectious Diseases Dr. Joseph Gastaldo warned COVID-19 is still here.
Gastaldo said, with that in mind, it's important to stay aware of COVID-19 spread in your community and get the vaccine.
That includes making sure your child - if eligible - is vaccinated, said Amy Edwards, an associate director of women’s and children’s infection control.
According to Edwards, the negative impacts of MIS-C, a COVID-19 related illness in children, far outweigh any symptoms associated with the vaccine.
You can watch the full briefing in the player below: