COLUMBUS, Ohio — As COVID cases continue to rise with the Christmas holiday quickly approaching, Ohio health officials held a press conference on Thursday morning to give an update on the pandemic.
Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff hosted the press conference, which you can rewatch in the video player above. You can also watch on our Facebook or YouTube pages. Dr. Vanderhoff was joined by the following medical experts during the press conference:
- Aimee O’Reilly, Pharm.D., O’Reilly Family Pharmacy
- Steven Gordon, MD, Chair, Cleveland Clinic Department of Infectious Disease
"The current surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations is simply putting a dangerous strain on the state’s health care infrastructure,” Dr. Vanderhoff said during a COVID press conference last week. “We are, yet again, in a serious situation -- every bit as serious as last December and January."
Ohio’s 21-day average of new COVID infections now stands at 7,019 based on data released Wednesday afternoon.
"The facts continue to provide us a clear reminder that when Ohioans choose to be vaccinated, they’re better protecting themselves from severe illness – including hospitalization and death – and they help mitigate pressure on our hospitals so that timely care is available when any of us need it," he also said last week. "When someone choose to be vaccinated, they’re helping ensure all Ohioans get the medical care they need when they need it.”
When it comes to vaccinations, Ohio's most recent shows 54.27 percent of the state's population is now considered fully vaccinated.
