The COVID-19 pandemic is not only showing no signs of slowing down in Ohio, it’s experiencing record increases.

The 1,316 cases reported Wednesday is the sixth-most reported in the state in a single day. It’s also the eighth-straight day with more than 1,100 cases reported. The eight days are among the top 11 days for reported COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began, including 1,525 on Friday, the most reported for a single day.

The state has reported 5,097 cases in just the first four days of this week. That’s more cases than any full week during the pandemic except the last two.

The average of 1,274.3 new daily cases during the first four days of the week is well above last week’s 1,147.3 daily average, when the state set a record for most weekly cases with 8,031.

Statewide, six new COVID-19 deaths were reported Wednesday, a decline from the daily average of 15 during the previous 21 days, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

But that number is questionable.

For example, the Ohio Department of Health reported 79 COVID-19 deaths as of Wednesday in Trumbull County, but the county’s combined health district listed 83. Also, the Columbiana County Health District reported a COVID-19 death Wednesday that didn’t appear on the state’s report.

The state reported 3,075 total COVID-19 deaths.

The Ohio Department of Health has acknowledged that reported cases and deaths often lag behind actual cases and deaths — sometimes by several weeks — because of the delay in filing COVID-19 death certificates and also determining if the virus was the reason for illnesses and deaths.

Hospitalizations continue to increase. There were 160 reported Wednesday compared to the daily average of 84 for the previous 21 days. It’s the most daily COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state in about three weeks.

There were 69,311 reported COVID-19 cases in the state as of Wednesday. About 28.6 percent of the state’s total cases have been reported since June 28, when cases started to greatly increase.

Of those with COVID-19, 47,303 are “presumed recovered,” according to the Ohio Department of Health. The rate of those testing positive continues to increase with the seven-day average Wednesday at 6.4 percent, up 0.3 percent from two days prior. The seven-day average was 5.3 percent July 1.

Taking away “presumed recovered” and those who have died, there were 18,933 who had the virus as of Wednesday.

Trumbull County listed 1,103 total cases as of Wednesday, an increase of 13 since Tuesday.

Mahoning County reported 2,007 cases, an increase of 11 since Tuesday.

Columbiana County had 1,419 cases, an increase of 13 from Tuesday.

There was one reported death Wednesday in Columbiana County, the first since July 1. It now has 61 COVID-19 deaths.

There were no reported deaths Wednesday in either Mahoning or Trumbull counties.

There are 83 total COVID-19 deaths in Trumbull, including three since Sunday.

There are 239 total deaths in Mahoning with the last one reported July 8.

dskolnick@tribtoday.com