The number of Ohioans currently hospitalized with COVID-19 mirrors the number seen in January, with the majority of recently admitted patients being unvaccinated against the virus.

Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said there are actively 4,297 patients in hospital for COVID-19 across the state, with 1,100 being in the ICU as of Thursday.

Vanderhoff added that counties in the northern half of Ohio are seeing the most hospitalizations, a result of some of those counties having a vaccination rate that is below average.

Locally, Columbiana County sits under that threshold with a vaccine rate of 45.6%, meaning that portion of residents have gotten at least their first dose. 

The rate of dying from COVID-19 is 94% higher in counties where vaccination rates are below average, Vanderhoff said.

"That's what vaccine were created to do," said Vanderhoff. "To keep people alive and out of the hospital."

The state's health director also touched on the challenges among healthcare workers dealing with overwhelming hospitalizations at this time. He said the amount of staff able to treat patients is stretching thin.

Doctors at Mercy Hospital said they are seeing this continued increase in patients firsthand. The state said there are fewer healthcare workers now than there were when there was a similar amount of hospitalizations last year.

"Hospitalizations are as severe as they have ever been," said Vanderhoff.

He said there were no confirmed cases of the newly widespread Omnicron variant in Ohio yet. However, he said it is not a matter of if there will be one, but when.

The state has not updated their weekly death toll from COVID-19 since last Friday.

A total of 74 Ohioans died that week, from November 26 to December 3.