For the third straight day, the number of newly reported COVID-19 cases in Ohio exceeded 1,000.

That’s happened only one time before: April 18 to 20, when the state stepped up testing at prisons.

Also, the total number of cases for this week — and that doesn’t even include today — greatly exceeds the highest amount for any week during the pandemic.

As of Friday, 5,802 new cases were reported for the week — an 11.7 percent increase since Sunday.

The previous high was last week with 4,391. Prior to that, the record high was the week of April 19 with 3,691 cases.

The increases from Sunday to Friday for Trumbull and Columbiana counties were even higher than the state.

Trumbull’s increase was 15 percent or 121 additional cases in six days. Trumbull posted 929 total cases Friday, up from 902 Thursday.

In Columbiana County, the increase was 17.1 percent from Sunday to Friday or 188 additional cases. Columbiana reported 1,288 total cases Friday, up from 1,228 a day earlier. Most of the county’s cases are inmates at the Federal Correctional Institution in Elkton.

Mahoning was below the state average with a 5.9 percent increase from Sunday to Friday or 100 more cases.

The county had 1,805 total cases Friday, up from 1,774 Friday.

BAD FRIDAY

Friday was the 16th straight day the state has reported cases that exceeded its daily average.

Friday had the fifth-most cases reported in Ohio during a day with 1,091. It came a day after 1,301 cases were reported, the third-most for a day. Wednesday’s total of 1,076 cases was the sixth-most for a day during the pandemic.

The top two days are April 19 with 1,380 cases and April 20 with 1,317 cases, while April 18 with 1,115 cases is fourth. Those three days were when the state was stepping up testing at its prisons.

Overall, the state reported 55,257 COVID-19 cases with 39,423 people “presumed recovered” and 2,903 deaths as of Friday, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

That means 12,931 still had the virus as of Friday.

Also, the state reported 99 total deaths from the virus between Sunday and Friday.

Trumbull County reported nine deaths during those six days while Mahoning had four — including three Friday — and Columbiana added one.

Overall, there were 360 reported COVID-19 deaths in the Mahoning Valley: 231 in Mahoning, 69 in Trumbull and 60 in Columbiana counties.

Trumbull’s COVID-19 death rate increased 15 percent from Sunday to Friday.

Trumbull is also one of only seven counties in Ohio to reach the second-highest level for being a high-risk area for the virus though the designation doesn’t come with any restrictions.

COVID DEATHS

The 14 reported deaths this week, not including today, is an increase from the previous two weeks.

Nine deaths were recorded last week, the lowest since the pandemic began.

The week of June 14 had 13 reported deaths.

There were 23 reported deaths the week of June 7; 26 the week of May 31; 33 the week of May 17; and 37 the week of May 10.

The worst week was May 3 with 53.

The weeks of April 19 and 26 posted 31 reported COVID-19 deaths each, while the week of April 12 had 32. The weeks of April 5 and March 29 reported 20 fatalities each.

Five COVID-19 deaths were reported in the Valley before March 29.

It is common for reported deaths and cases to lag behind actual ones because of delays in reporting data by local health districts, as well as the time it takes to file COVID-19 death certificates and determining if the virus was the reason for the fatality and / or illness.

COVID-19 by the numbers

The number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths in counties in the region and statewide as of Friday:

County Cases Hospitalizations Deaths

Mahoning 1,805 361 231

Trumbull 929 214 69

Columbiana 1,288 151 60

Ohio 55,257 8,084 2,903