Local Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations are up in our area

DAYTON — Hospitalizations are up more than 40% in our region for Covid-19 over the last three weeks and cases are trending upward for the second straight, according to the State of Ohio.

News Center 7′s John Bedell looked at the numbers and talked to a local doctor about the trend.

>>WPAFB is at Health Protection level BRAVO due to rising Covid cases

Wright Patterson Air Force Base officials cite, “steadily rising cases and hospitalizations,” in counties around the base as a reason for going to health protection level, “Bravo.” That’s a, “2,” on a scale of 1 to 4.

It means a less than 80% normal occupancy at offices on the base and mandatory Covid-19 testing for workers who are not vaccinated.

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base says masking is not required at this time.

Hospitalizations for Covid-19 dropped across Ohio in the last week but that is a trend hospital leaders in the Miami Valley are not seeing.

“This surge is different than previous surges,” said Doctor Jeffrey Weinstein, Patient Safety Officer, Kettering Health. “Instead of being right up real fast and right back down real fast over a course of about eight to ten weeks, this is different.”

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The hospitalization trend is a slower and steadier increase in the number of patients in the hospital with Covid in our region, Weinstein said.

The Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association said they’ve seen a 42% increase in Covid hospitalizations the last 21 days.

“There’s a lot of Covid out in the community,” Weinstein said. “But a lower percentage of people infected are getting severely ill and getting hospitalized. But yet, the numbers are going up.”

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