Ohio's COVID Case Count Is As High Now As It Was In February

The number of COVID cases in Ohio is increasing just as schools are starting the academic year.

Gov. Mike DeWine said for three days in the past week, the number of confirmed and probable COVID cases has exceeded 3,000.

“Prior to this week, we haven’t had a single day of more than 3,000 cases since February," DeWine said in an afternoon news conference.

DeWine also said school districts should require students to wear masks, at least now while the Delta variant is hitting Ohio so hard. He noted most K-12 students can't be vaccinated since the shots are only approved for those over 12.

"And of those 12-17, of those, only 35% of them are currently vaccinated," DeWine said.

And while he urged school leaders and parents to make kids wear masks, he stopped short of requiring them. He said he’s for local control. But a law that took effect in June would allow state lawmakers to overturn a mask mandate if he issued one.

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