COVID-19 hospitalizations falling locally post-holiday season

MIAMI VALLEY — It’s a promising trend that many hope will continue, COVID-19 hospitalizations dropping in the Miami Valley as any holiday spikes would have likely already started showing up in statewide data.

“I think all of us are hoping that this is the beginning of a sustained downward trend of COVID cases in the hospital,” said Dr. Roberto Colon with Miami Valley Hospital. “Still too early to know whether that is going to be a sustained trend or this is just a downward blip or we’re going to see another upward swing.”

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In the last 7 days, the majority of the Miami Valley has seen an 8 percent drop in hospitalizations due to COVID-19 and a 6 percent drop in ICU patients over the last week, according to the Ohio Hospital Association.

That drop comes after Miami Valley Hospital reported a spike in coronavirus-related hospitalizations last week. On Jan. 4, the Ohio Hospital Association reported 461 COVID-19 hospitalizations and today that number has fallen to 419.

The falling hospitalizations also are reflected across the entire state, with the number of hospitalizations dropping by over 1,200. At the peak, on Dec. 15 the state had 5,308 active hospitalizations and the most recent data shows 4,010 hospitalizations currently at Ohio hospitals.

Although not for certain, Colon says the potential for a holiday spike may be ending and more people are also getting vaccinated, which may be leading to the decrease in numbers.

“We are also doing some things to be able to treat those at risk for hospitalization with COVID before they end up in the hospital, like the monoclonal antibodies,” Colon said. “We have newer things out there to be able to actually alter the course of this disease, so I think the hope is that this is going to be a sustained move away from hospitalizations for COVID patients.”

Cox Media Group