State health leaders say COVID-19 infections are increasing in recent weeks when compared with the same time last month. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine warns that might translate into more deaths from the virus in the future.
DeWine says COVID-19 cases are on the rise. The state had a record 2,039 new cases on Wednesday and over 1,000 confirmed cases every day for more than a week.
Meanwhile, the Ohio Department of Health recorded 12 confirmed deaths Tuesday, with numbers in the single digits the three days before that. DeWine says he’s worried those death rates will climb too.
“They’re the lagging indicator, so when you see these numbers as high as they are today, we may see those results in two, three, four weeks," DeWine says.
Hospitalization numbers are also gradually increasing. DeWine says he’s worried that people are letting their guards down by congregating with others and not wearing masks consistently.
The governor says that’s worrisome as the weather gets colder and people will be spending more time inside.
