COLUMBUS, Ohio - The number of new cases of the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 in the state of Ohio continues to increase, despite hopes that the peak may be behind us. 

As of Thursday, there are 8,239 cases across the state, a number that increases to 8,414 when using the CDC's expanded definition of confirmed cases. There are now 389 confirmed deaths. 

The state of Ohio only counts cases that are confirmed in a lab, but the CDC's expanded definition also includes some rapid testing and cases where someone is symptomatic and is a known contact of a confirmed coronavirus patient. 

While the number of new coronavirus cases in Mahoning County is still increasing in Mahoning County, there were no new deaths reported in the county on Thursday.  

Overall, there are now 523 confirmed cases of the virus in the county, an increase of 19 from the previous day. 

That's the smallest increase in new cases recorded in Mahoning county this week, another sign that the disease may be getting past it's peak locally and across the state. 

In Mahoning county, the majority of cases overall, 54 percent, are females. 
 
 

However, the majority of hospitalizations and deaths are males, the vast majority of whom also have underlying health conditions. 

 

46 percent of the countys 41 deaths are residents of longterm care facilities. 

In Columbiana county, health officials on Thursday reported 135 people in the county have tested positive for COVID-19 since the outbreak began. That’s an increase from the 121 cases reported on Wednesday.

Seven of those cases were reported in long-term facilities. However, as of Thursday, the Ohio Health Department's list of long-term care facilities with confirmed coronavirus cases did not include any in Columbiana County.
 
 
 

Sixty cases are from the Elkton Federal Correctional Institution. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons on Wednesday reported 39 inmates and 24 staff members testing positive.

 

Five of those inmates have died.

 

Those inmates are included in Columbiana County’s nine deaths. Health officials are still trying to confirm if a tenth person died from coronavirus.

Trumbull County has 208 cases with 15 deaths.