WARREN — About a month after many Mahoning Valley schools opened for the 2020-21 school year, few of them have reported cases of COVID-19, according to a state dashboard.

Two new cases of students being diagnosed with COVID-19 in Mahoning County and one new case of a student diagnosed in Trumbull County have been reported on the Ohio Department of Health schools COVID-19 Dashboard. These were in addition to two student cases previously identified in Mahoning County.

The new student case in Trumbull County is from the Newton Falls Exempted Village District. Potential Development, a private school in Youngstown for students with autism, has one new student case and two new staff cases, according to the dashboard.

A new student case of COVID-19 also was identified in Struthers. Two previously identified cases were in Columbiana Exempted Village schools.

Only cases among students or staff that engaged in on-site instruction, activities or support services are included. Infectious period is defined as the time from 48 hours before the onset of symptoms (or 48 hours before sample collection of a positive test for asymptomatic individuals) until the time when the individual is isolated.

The most recent week is defined as the previous Monday through Sunday, with updates provided weekly on Thursdays.

Children have accounted for about 7 percent of the total COVID-19 cases in Ohio, according to the ODH dashboard. Of the 9,646 cases in children, 232 of the kids were hospitalized and one died. July saw the highest number of positive rates in children, when 8.1 percent of total cases were in children. The percent of cases children represent began decreasing from that high in August and September, and in September, kids have represented about 7.7 percent of total cases for the month so far. The majority of the children who tested positive for the virus were between 14 and 17. Less than 1 percent of cases were in children under 4 in September.

In Mahoning County, 146 of the 3,053 cases have been in children, or about 4.8 percent. In Trumbull County, 76 of the 1,883 cases have been in children, about 4 percent. In Columbiana County,

39 of the 1,929 cases were in children, about 2 percent.

STREAK BROKEN

The state broke a six-day streak of fewer than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases reported in a day on Friday when 1,150 new cases were reported, bringing the state total to 148,894. Over the past 21 days, the state average has been 974 new cases per day. But, the state came in under the 21-day average — 23 — for deaths Friday at 19, bringing the total to 4,734.

No new deaths were reported in Trumbull, Mahoning or Columbiana counties Friday.

In Mahoning County, 23 new cases were reported, raising the total to 3,053, with 281 deaths. In Trumbull County, seven new cases were reported, bringing the total to 1,883, with 132 deaths.

Five new cases were reported in Columbiana County, bringing the total to 1,929, and 80 deaths.

COVID-19 by the numbers

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

County Case Change since Change since Deaths

yesterday last week

Trumbull 1,883 +7 +42 132

Mahoning 3,053 +23 +72 281

Columbiana 1,929 +5 +7 80

Ohio 148,894 +1,150 +6,298 4,734

SOURCE: Ohio Department of Health