We've seen a helluva dramatic increase in cases here through October, starting the month with about a thousand cases per day and ending with a 7-day average 2.6x higher (& daily numbers far exceeding that average). /1 https://twitter.com/GovMikeDeWine/status/1321875625632817154

My hometown hospital (BVH) is starting to feel the strain, after going through the pandemic to date with relatively few #COVID19 cases. County next door has no hospital but highest per capita rate in state, so many cases end up at BVH. /2 https://www.13abc.com/2020/10/28/rural-ohio-hospitals-feeling-the-strain-of-increased-covid-patients/

With 3590 new cases today, that means there are a lot of exposed people out there who will be diagnosed in the next 5-10 days. We're already double our summer peak without any additional interventions on the way. /3

We have a mask mandate but it's very weakly enforced, and still a lot of anti-maskers proudly flouting it. And per @GovMikeDeWine, much of spread seems to be from informal gatherings. Hospitalizations also on the rise & we haven't seen the worst there yet. /4

. @GovMikeDeWine says he's optimistic. I'm not. We need leadership. His new teams should have been assembled months ago, not in the midst of this rise. /5 https://twitter.com/GovMikeDeWine/status/1321876814877335552?s=19

This isn't close to a plateau yet, and severe outcomes lag case increases. At this rate, we could see our hospitals in really bad shape over the next month, right before Thanksgiving--and what happens then with the holiday? /6

And it's not just Ohio. Many states are seeing similar increases. We still lack adequate PPE, and our healthcare workers are so tired.

We're just at the start of this season, y'all. Stay safe out there. Stay in when you can, #MaskUp, wash hands. It's getting rough all over.

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