Ohio reports 81 more coronavirus deaths; over 45,000 vaccines started: Friday update

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Eighty-one more Ohioans have died with COVID-19 and 1,004 new cases have been tracked, according to the Ohio Department of Health on Friday.

The case increase is from Thursday and the death increase is from Tuesday, the last time Ohio received fatality information.

In all, 19,709 Ohio residents have died with COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic and there have been over 1.09 million cases.

While death reports come to the state from the federal government, cases come from the Ohio Department of Health, which follows the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s definition of a case. That includes those diagnosed through genetic PCR or antigen tests, or people diagnosed in a clinical setting — experiencing symptoms who are linked to a confirmed COVID-19 case, among other criteria.

A whopping 45,889 vaccines were started, the Department of Health reports, between Thursday and Friday mornings. This brings the total number of Ohioans vaccinated to 5.12 million, or 43.84% of the state’s total population.

Ohio hasn’t seen a Friday with over 45,000 vaccines started since April 16, when there were 49,154 vaccines started.

The number of vaccines completed on Friday from the day before was 34,042.

In all, 38.42% of the state’s population has completed their vaccines since shots first became available.

Seven hundred eighty-one people were hospitalized with the coronavirus in Ohio facilities, a net decrease of 44 since Thursday, considering admissions and discharges.