COLUMBUS, Ohio — Coronavirus cases continue to plummet in parts of Ohio that were first hit hardest by the virus, Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said Friday.
By the end of December, Cuyahoga County soared to the top of weekly reported case rates statewide with more than 3,000 cases per 100,000 residents. Now, that number is just 268 cases per 100,000 residents.
According to Vanderhoff, Cuyahoga County now has the lowest number of cases per capita statewide. In just the past three weeks, the Ohio Hospital Association says hospitalizations have declined by 65% in the greater-Cleveland area.
Vanderhoff said the decline is reflected statewide. Ohio's overall hospitalizations have dropped by 48% since reaching a pandemic high in mid-January.
While hospitalizations are declining in other parts of the state, Vanderhoff said numbers aren't declining at a fest enough rate just yet.
The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center announced Thursday that the Ohio National Guard will end offering its assistance next week. In southern parts of the state, Ohio National Guard members continue to offer assistance.
"We are feeling hopeful as we begin February that better days are ahead, but remember we're still a very long way from having case levels like those were seeing in the late spring and early fall," said Vanderhoff.
According to Vanderhoff, the next question is now how to turn the pandemic into an endemic.
Dr. Joseph Gastaldo, medical director of infectious diseases at OhioHealth, defines 'endemic' as a disease that "persists in the population indefinitely."
In other words, there will likely always be a baseline level of COVID-19 activity, said Gastaldo. But by getting the COVID-19 vaccine, people who are exposed to the virus will have a better chance of building immunity.
"As we move forward, we need to continue to see our vaccination numbers rise to boost our state's immunity," said Vanderhoff.
You can watch the full briefing in the player below: