Since May, cases of COVID-19 have been rising in Cuyahoga County. The Ohio Department of Health collects information on reported cases of the virus, hospitalizations and deaths. 

The data shows that COVID-19 has become a seasonal virus, like the flu. 

At this point, reported case levels have not approached what Ohio experienced last winter. The highest level of cases – nearly 500,000 – was reported in January 2022. 

Last week, state health director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said that the trend is for new variants of the virus to evolve to become more transmissible but with milder symptoms and fewer hospitalizations and deaths

Current vaccines should protect against current variants, Vanderhoff said. Last year, about 17% of county residents got updated vaccines, according to the Cuyahoga County Board of Health. You can search vaccine availability online. 

Below see the trends in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths reported on the state’s COVID-19 reporting dashboard, which is updated weekly. The first chart shows more recent seasonal trends. The second chart shows trends going back to 2020, when the virus emerged. Use the navigation bars on the chart to view information by age group and to look at cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

Have questions about COVID-19 or the seasonal flu? Let us know.