COLUMBUS, Ohio — A panel of specialists with Ohio State Wexner Medical Center discussed what Ohioans should know about COVID-19 vaccine boosters, mental health during the pandemic and more on Wednesday.
Across Ohio, daily virus cases have slowly began to decrease, according to Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Andrew Thomas. Where the 7-day moving average of cases sat just above 7,000 cases per day roughly two weeks ago, it has since dropped to an average of around 6,000 cases.
"We are cautiously optimistic as a state," Thomas said in part.
Still, one out of every five patients in hospitals throughout central and southeast Ohio are being treated for COVID-19 as of Tuesday, Thomas said. Additionally, one out of every three patients in the ICU or currently on a ventilator is fighting the virus.
Though the physical effects of the virus are made obvious in hospitalizations, health officials say the pandemic has also taken a clear toll on mental health.
Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates two in five Americans suffer from mental illness. That's up from the previously reported one in five Americans, according to Dr. K Luan Phan, who serves as chair of the state's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health.
"Mental health has been a silent pandemic in our society long before COVID," said Phan, adding the pandemic has made symptoms like fatigue and burnout only more prevalent.
Phan said the main struggle health care leaders are now dealing with is the fact that COVID-19 can be prevented thanks to the vaccine.
"There is a treatment out there to prevent you from getting COVID, and to certainly prevent bad consequences -- bad, physical health consequences from having COVID," Phan said in part.
Last week, federal regulators recommended a booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine for Americans ages 65 and older and approved the additional shot for others who have preexisting conditions or work in a high-risk environment.
Under the recommendation, those who first received their Pfizer vaccine six months ago can receive a booster dose if eligible.
The recommendation comes as hospitalizations across the nation, including in Ohio, have risen in recent months -- largely in those who are unvaccinated.
Patients at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center can now receive their vaccine at hospital locations.
You can watch the full briefing below:
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