This time-lapse shows the alarming spread of COVID-19 throughout Ohio

By: - November 20, 2020 12:25 am

This is the latest Public Health Advisory System map showing coronavirus spread in all areas of Ohio. Courtesy the Ohio Department of Health.

The spread of coronavirus is evident all throughout Ohio as the state heads into the winter months.

All 88 counties have “high incidence” of spread, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state’s Public Health Advisory System map, which labels the 88 counties by various spread indicators, shows an alarming trend since September.

This map is produced by the Ohio Department of Health and is updated each week. Here is a time-lapse of the map over the recent months:

This week’s update showed Franklin County became the first county in Ohio to “turn purple,” indicating “severe exposure and spread.”

Noble County in Southeast Ohio was the last county to remain “yellow,” the lowest labeling, but “turned orange” to Level 2 this week.

The state is implementing a new curfew urging Ohioans to stay home between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. to reduce public contacts and thus slow the spread of coronavirus.

Individual counties, including Franklin, are now implementing their own stay-at-home orders to reduce spread in their respective areas. Gov. Mike DeWine has traveled the state in recent weeks offering region-specific caution for Ohioans to abide by health guidelines such as wearing masks and staying socially distant.

The Republican-led Ohio House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday which would limit the state health department’s authority to respond to the pandemic.

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Tyler Buchanan
Tyler Buchanan

Tyler Buchanan is an award-winning journalist who has covered Ohio politics and government for the past decade. A Bellevue native and graduate of Bowling Green State University, he most recently spent 6 1/2 years as a reporter and editor of The Athens Messenger and Vinton-Jackson Courier newspapers. He is a member of the BG News Alumni Society Board and was a 2019 fellow in the Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism.

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