Though the number of new COVID-19 cases in the state is at its highest level in two months, Gov. Mike DeWine won’t impose any additional restrictions.

Asked about that Thursday, DeWine instead urged Ohioans to wear face masks and get vaccinated against the virus.

“We know how to get out of it, and that’s vaccinating,” he said.

The state has been going in the wrong direction for weeks with COVID-19 cases increasing. The number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in Ohio was 200 on Thursday.

That number was 183.7 cases per 100,000 people last Thursday. It was 167.1 per 100,000 the week prior, 146.9 per 100,000 March 25 and 143.8 March 18.

DeWine announced March 4 that he would lift all health orders tied to the pandemic if the state got to at least 50 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 for two weeks. At the time, the number was 179.6 per 100,000.

“We hoped it would go down to 50 and remove all health orders,” he said Thursday. “Unfortunately, because of this variant, it’s moved up.”

DeWine said Ohioans need to keep wearing masks and get the vaccine to fight the rise caused by the virus variant.

“What we’re seeing in Ohio is a strong variant that is multiplying very quickly and is more contagious than the virus we’ve seen in the past,” he said. “But we have hope, and hope is the vaccine. Vaccination is how we get out of this.”

He said Thursday that getting to at least 50 cases per 100,000 people is still obtainable, but he doesn’t know when it would happen. He previously said it would be by the summer.

Also, the state Legislature will be able to make decisions on health orders by late June because on March 24 it overrode DeWine’s veto that gives its members the authority to end states of emergency and lift public health orders. That law goes into effect 90 days after the override.

Mahoning and Trumbull counties remained at Level 3 (red) Thursday on the Ohio Public Health Advisory System. That’s the second highest level on the system. Franklin County moved to Level 4 (purple), the highest level, Thursday.

For the fourth straight week, Columbiana County was at Level 2 (orange).

COVID-19 BILL

The Ohio House of Representatives on Thursday approved a bill, sponsored by state Rep. Michael Loychik, R-Bazetta, to provide $300 million in federal funds to businesses for COVID-19 relief.

The state Senate approved the bill March 17. State Sen. Michael Rulli, R-Salem, was the lead sponsor on that bill.

The bill provides $150 million to small businesses that already have been approved for aid but haven’t received money because of a lack of program funding, as well as $112.2 million to reimburse child-care providers for pandemic-related expenses, $20 million for indoor entertainment businesses that lost revenue because of canceled events and closures, $10 million for new businesses that opened after Jan. 1, 2020, $4.7 million for Ohio’s fairs and $3.7 million for the state’s two veterans’ homes.

“This is one of the coronavirus relief bills designed to give vital assistance and aid to the many parts of the state and our constituents,” Loychik said.

COVID-19 DATA

The Ohio Department of Health reported 2,164 new COVID-19 cases Thursday in the state, up from the daily average of 1,997 in the past 21 days.

The state had a total of 1,048,109 COVID-19 cases as of Thursday with 989,861 presumed recovered.

The ODH provides death information only on Tuesday and Friday.

On Tuesday, it reported 18,917 total deaths.

Mahoning County had 20,822 total COVID-19 cases as of Thursday with 19,507 presumed recovered and 583 deaths, according to the ODH.

Trumbull County had 15,521 total COVID-19 cases as of Thursday with 14,455 presumed recovered and 459 deaths.

Columbiana County had 8,527 total COVID-19 cases as of Thursday with 8,100 presumed recovered and 226 deaths.

VACCINATIONS

There were 4,254,389 people, 36.4 percent of the state’s population, who had at least started the vaccination process as of 6 a.m. Thursday, including 49,075 in the previous 24 hours, according to the ODH.

In Mahoning County, 37.14 percent of the population (84,941 people) had received at least one dose with 35.33 percent of the population in Trumbull County (69,945 people) and 30.23 percent in Columbiana County (30,804 people) as of 6 a.m. Thursday, according to the ODH.

There were 2,847,986 people, 24.36 percent of the state’s population, who finished the vaccinations as of 6 a.m. Thursday, including 73,657 in the previous 24 hours.

In Mahoning County, 26.35 percent of the population (60,257 people) had completed the process while 23.87 percent of the population in Trumbull (47,248 people) and 22.18 percent of the population in Columbiana (22,593 people) had as of 6 a.m. Thursday.

dskolnick@vindy.com