COLUMBUS – The state health department says incidence of COVID-19 in Ohio has dropped to the lowest since mid-October.
The rate between April 19 and May 4 dropped to 140.2 per 100,000 residents, down from 155.6 the week before. That is the third continuous week of declines since reaching 200 cases per 100,000 residents on April 15.
The rate was approximately 144 cases per 100,000 population in mid-March, when Gov. Mike DeWine announced that health restrictions would be lifted when the rate dropped to 50 cases for two weeks.
The rate briefly rebounded before declining in mid-April.
Ohio State will award more than 12,000 degrees Sunday at two commencement events as the university’s graduation ceremony returns to Ohio Stadium for the first time since 2019.
University president Dr. Kristina Johnson will preside over ceremonies at 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. and JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon will deliver virtual commencement addresses.
The Columbus Symphony announced Friday that its two annual, outdoor summer series, Nationwide Picnic with the Pops and Popcorn Pops, will return to the Columbus Bicentennial Pavilion this year.
“We have taken great pride in being here for the community throughout the pandemic. Picnic with the Pops and Popcorn Pops will give us exciting opportunities to celebrate returning to being together. Our patrons can be assured of adherence to the most current safety protocols as provided by the CDC and the Columbus Health Department,” CSO executive director Denise Rehg said.
Nationwide Picnic with the Pops concerts are scheduled from June 12 through July 31 and Popcorn Pops concerts will take place on June 18 and July 16 in the John F. Wolfe Columbus Commons downtown.
A roster of artists is forthcoming, and tickets will go on sale soon, symphony officials said.
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The state Thursday reported that 4,004,082 Ohioans had been fully immunized against the coronavirus, or 34.25% of the total population.
There were 1,387 new cases of COVID-19 reported for a total of 1,080,121. The disease has killed 19,344 Ohioans.
The number of people in the state’s hospitals increased by 127 to 1,073 patients. A total of 57,118 Ohioans have been hospitalized with COVID-19.
The state’s seven-day average positivity rate was 3.8%.