COLUMBUS, Ohio — After nearly a year with COVID-19 safety precautions impacting our lives, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has established a goal that would lift all health orders throughout the state once new cases drop to 50 or below per 100,000 for two weeks.
Here's a closer look at recent coronavirus infection data for Ohio:
- Dec. 3, 2020: 731 cases per 100,000 population
- Feb. 3, 2021: 445 cases per 100,000 population
- March 3, 2021: 179 cases per 100,000 population
The governor credited this drop in cases to continued mask-wearing and social distancing, coupled with the vaccine rollout.
The Ohio Department of Health held a news conference Friday afternoon to answer the media's questions on COVID-19 case rates per 100,000.
The department's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff explained that 50 or below is the threshold that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) uses for when the state has dropped to a moderate level of disease transmission.
Below 50 is where the state was during a two-week interval in June, after the state came out of its first wave in the spring and when the state was substantially shut down.
"We have good historic reasons to believe when we're [below 50] that things are pretty quiet," Vanderhoff said.
He said the CDC uses a one-week average interval, but he's confident in a two-week average interval when looking at numbers at the level of the state's population.
As far as when we'll hit that threshold, Dr. Vanderhoff said he's unsure, and much of it depends on what happens over the next few weeks with the new coronavirus variant.
"I'm expecting there will be some impact of the arrival of the B117 variant," he said. "I just don't know how much an impact, no one does. There's no expert in the country or on the planet that's able to provide us with that number of clarity."
Something he was sure of, however, was that masking, social distancing and vaccinations were the tools that would get the state to 50 cases per 100,000 people.
But, Vanderhoff was clear, that even if the state lifts public heath orders, that doesn't mean it will be done dealing with COVID-19.
The Ohio Department of Health will still issue guidelines on how to stay safe, although they may not be mandatory requirements.