Coronavirus

Actions

Cuyahoga Co. reports more recovered cases than positive cases of COVID-19 for the first time

Posted at 11:57 AM, Apr 24, 2020
and last updated 2020-04-24 12:40:27-04

CUYAHOGA COUNTY, Ohio — Pointing out a sign of hope, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health (CCBH) confirmed that on Monday of this week, there were more people who recovered from COVID-19 than people who became infected with the virus.

Romona Brazile, deputy director of prevention and wellness at the CCBH, who joked during Friday’s briefing that she tries to stay off social media as much as possible, said she couldn’t help but see that reoccurring question as to why the number of recovered cases isn’t being as reported as frequently as some would like.

She confirmed that as of Friday, there are have been 340 people who have recovered from COVID-19 and who have been taken out of isolation.

On Monday, health officials received 14 new lab confirmed cases and they discontinued 20-21 people from isolation.

“To me, that is a sign of hope that we will have more days like that and we know that it will come and ebbs and flows, but it does give us hope that we're on the right path,” said Brazile.

In the graph below, the blue bar represents the number of people who have recovered from the virus. In the middle of the week, the CCBH reported the most recovered cases.

"We actually celebrate every time we get to clear someone," said Dr. Heidi Gullett, medical director at the CCBH.

While any of recovered cases are a good step in the direction, new data from the board of health shows an increase in hospital utilization in adult and pediatric facilities.

Hospitalizations in the community range from 20 years of age all the way to people in their 80s, 90s, or 100s.

“We have a lot of community dwelling elders in our community, which is really important part of understanding how this affects everyone," Gullett said.

There are currently 243 confirmed hospitalizations in the county and 79 ICU admissions, not including the City of Cleveland.

As each week continues, the zip codes keep getting darker, which indicates there are more cases of community spread.

"The picture you can take away from this is that the infections are throughout our community and they don't stop at the Cuyahoga County borders. Our neighboring health departments have been releasing their maps as well," said Gullett.

Board of Health officials stressed the importance of residents answering their calls to discuss possible transmission in order to properly contact trace.

"I would ask that if we if you are called by our team, please consider talking to us. Please consider giving us the information that would help you and your family and your friends get through this. We can't do this work of case identification, contact tracing, isolation and quarantine without your help," said said.

Additional Coronavirus information and resources:

Read our daily Coronavirus Live Blog for the latest updates and news on coronavirus.

We're Open! Northeast Ohio is place created by News 5 to open us up to new ways of thinking, new ways of gathering and new ways of supporting each other.

Click here for a page with resources including a COVID-19 overview from the CDC, details on cases in Ohio, a timeline of Governor Mike DeWine's orders since the outbreak, coronavirus' impact on Northeast Ohio, and link to more information from the Ohio Department of Health, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, the CDC and the WHO.

See data visualizations showing the impact of coronavirus in Ohio, including county-by-county maps, charts showing the spread of the disease, and more.

The federal government has begun distributing $1,200 Economic Impact Payments to millions of Americans to help relieve the economic burden caused by coronavirus. Click here for everything you need to know about checking the status and receiving these payments.

The CDC and the Ohio Department of Health are now recommending the use of cloth face coverings in public to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Read more about the CDC's recommendation here. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to make a face mask from common household materials, without having to know how to sew.

View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.

Here is everything you need to know about testing for coronavirus in Ohio.

Here's a list of things in Northeast Ohio closed due to coronavirus concerns

See complete coverage on our Coronavirus Continuing Coverage page.