COVID cases spike in Ohio as variants drive 'summer surge'

This summer's COVID-19 numbers are continuing to rise in a "summer surge" as Ohioans gather more for festivities and new variants emerge.

In the spring and summer, FLiRT , which includes KP.1.1, KP.2 and KP.3, was the culprit behind increasing case numbers both statewide and nationally .

Those remain dominant but a new strain, LB.1, has begun to appear. There is no evidence to suggest, however, that the new variant is any more severe than the FLiRT trio.

More: COVID-19 variants KP.3 and KP.3.1.1 account for 50% of cases, latest CDC data shows

What are Ohio's current COVID numbers?

The Ohio Department of Health reported 4,575 cases for the week of July 18 to July 24, a roughly 17% increase from the previous week.

May's case count totaled a little over 3,800, but cases nearly doubled in June, with 6,472 reported. The number is almost guaranteed to also double in July, with 12,274 reported and the current three week average reported at 3,875.

The Ohio Department of Health reminded Ohioans in early July that these numbers are much lower than the beginning of the year. According to data from the department, over 41,000 cases were reported in January 2024 alone.

The state's health department encourages Ohioans to stay up to date on their vaccinations and like them, look to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's best practices for guidance.

Samantha Hendrickson is The Columbus Dispatch's medical business and health care reporter. She can be reached at shendrickson@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: COVID cases spike in Ohio as variants drive 'summer surge'