Dr. Amy Acton, Ohio Department of Health director

By DAVID SKOLNICK

Staff writer

The number of COVID-19 confirmed deaths in the state is rising, with the Ohio Department of Health director saying the worst is still likely ahead of us.

“Ohioans, we have a couple of hard weeks ahead of us,” Dr. Amy Acton, head of the department, said Tuesday. “The sacrifices we are making are painful sacrifices. But if we let up we will experience an even larger increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths.”

Acton said she expects the virus to peak late this month to early May.

In just one week, the number of confirmed cases in Ohio increased from 2,199 to 4,782. Also, COVID-19 deaths in Ohio during that time went from 55 to 167.

Among the hardest-hit places in the state is the Mahoning Valley.

As of Tuesday, there were 32 confirmed deaths from the virus in the three counties — Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana. That is nearly 1 in every 5 deaths in the state.

NUMBERS BY COUNTY

Leading the way is Mahoning County with 19 deaths, including two more confirmed Tuesday. The county was tied Tuesday with Cuyahoga, which has more than five times Mahoning’s population, for the county with the most deaths in the state.

There were eight confirmed deaths in Trumbull County and five in Columbiana County as of Tuesday, unchanged from a day earlier.

Mahoning also had 300 confirmed cases of the virus as of Tuesday — the fifth-most of any Ohio county — and 134 COVID-19 hospitalizations, the second-most in the state. It had 272 cases and 117 hospitalizations Monday.

Mahoning, the 12th-most populous county in Ohio, has the highest per capita number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

Trumbull County saw the number of cases increase from 102 Monday to 110 Tuesday and hospitalizations go from 49 Monday to 57 Tuesday.

Despite being the 15th-most populous county in Ohio, Trumbull is eighth in COVID-19 deaths, ninth in total cases and seventh in hospitalizations.

In Columbiana County, there were 59 cases Tuesday, up from 53 a day earlier, and 36 hospitalizations, up from 33 Monday. The cases include 10 inmates and three employees of the federal prison in Elkton, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

Also, of the five deaths in the county, three were inmates at the prison.

On Monday, Gov. Mike DeWine said he was sending 26 members of the Ohio National Guard, who work in the medical field, to assist with medical staffing at the prison.

The BOP also agreed to DeWine’s request to stop sending inmates to Elkton.

Columbiana is the 26th-most populous county in Ohio, but it has the 12th-most deaths, the 19th-most cases and the eighth-most hospitalizations in the state.

There were 4,782 confirmed cases of the virus in the state Tuesday, up from 4,450 Monday, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

Statewide, 1,354 people were hospitalized as of Tuesday because of the virus, up from 1,214 a day earlier.

There were 417 people in intensive-care units Tuesday, up from 371 Monday.

NEW STATE POLICIES

On Tuesday, DeWine said in an effort to help businesses, the Ohio Liquor Control Commission approved an emergency rule to allow establishments with existing on-premises liquor permits to sell and deliver alcohol, including high-proof liquor, for off-premises consumption.

Under the rule, people can purchase two pre-packaged drinks per meal. All drinks have to be closed during transport as per the state’s open-container law.

Also, because of concerns of the pandemic at state prisons, DeWine said the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction is alerting the Correctional Institution Inspection Committee of “an overcrowding emergency” and recommending that 141 nonviolent offenders in minimum-security prisons, who are set to be released on or before July 13, be released to make more room.

“These are individuals already approaching the end of their sentences and releasing them slightly earlier than planned will create more social distancing for those we must keep in custody,” he said.

DeWine also said there were 26 nonviolent prisoners he is asking the Ohio Parole Board to consider releasing early. They are all more than 60 years old with chronic health conditions who have served more than 50 percent of their sentences — and do not have more than one prior conviction.

After the board makes its decisions, DeWine said he would “act quickly to make my decision in respect to each case.”

Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said the state on Tuesday established the Office of Small Business Relief to better coordinate Ohio’s efforts to identify and provide support for its nearly 950,000 small businesses.

For assistance, small businesses should go online to coronavirus.ohio.gov/BusinessHelp.

dskolnick@tribtoday.com