COVID-19 turns 2 in Ohio today; a look at pandemic by the numbers: school children, cases, vaccinations and more

CLEVELAND — Wednesday marked the second anniversary of the confirmation of the first three COVID-19 cases in Ohio, launching a period of lockdowns, working and schooling from home, temporary and permanent closures of businesses of all kinds, and a death toll that now exceeds 37,000. Like the rest of the United States and much of the world, Ohio underwent tremendous economic and social changes. Businesses had to take out loans to keep people employed, work-from-home became the norm instead of the exception, and health recommendations changed by the week. Here's a look at the last two years by the numbers and its cost through unprecedented times. 3 — Ohio's first three coronavirus cases, all from Cuyahoga County, were confirmed by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on March 9, 2020. Later, health officials learned of earlier cases dating back to January. March 14 — Date of the first coronavirus-attributed Ohio death, a Cuyahoga County woman in her 70s. This case was confirmed after some others. The first death disclosed by the state was announced on March 20, involving a Lucas County man who had died on March 18. 2,660,728 — Number of known coronavirus cases to date through Tuesday, accounting for 1-in-4 Ohioans, though health officials say the actual number likely is much higher, both because testing early on was rationed and many other cases may go unreported to health officials. This is up from 981,618 on this date last year. 37,212 — Number of coronavirus-caused deaths reported through Tuesday, though this count is preliminary. After state officials gave up trying to report deaths promptly, they are now using a method that can delay reporting of individual deaths from a few weeks to up to six months. 458 — New COVID-19 related hospitalizations reported on Jan. 4, 2022, the most for any one during the pandemic in Ohio. The state has recorded 112,951 in total over the last two years. More than half of hospitalized COVID-19 patients have been over the age of 60. 270 — Number of televised coronavirus briefings by Gov. Mike DeWine, broadcast by the Ohio Channel and shared statewide media outlets. The daily briefings gradually spaced out as the pandemic lumbered on, later switching to twice a week up until Dec. 29, 2021. There has not been a coronavirus briefing released on the channels in 2022. 66.8% — Share of Ohio above the age of 18 that is fully vaccinated; 71.9% have received at least one vaccination shot. Only half of the fully vaccinated Ohioans have received the booster shot to help combat the omicron variant and others. 4 — The number of health directors Ohio has had since the beginning of the pandemic. After Acton resigned on June 11, the state went 147 days without a health director until DeWine announced the appointment of administrator Stephanie McCloud to the director's post on Nov. 5. 2020. In between, the health department general counsel, Lance Himes, served as the interim director. Since August, Dr. Bruce T. Vanderhoff has been the director after McCloud returned to lead the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation. $211.41 billion — Amount generated in online sales during the 2021 holiday season, a 10% increase from the prior year, as reported by DigitalCommerce360.com, citing data from shipping software company ShipMatrix. Nearly $1 in every $4 spent on retail purchases during the 2021 holidays came from online orders. 5,537 — The number of Ohioans reported having died of the coronavirus in December 2020, the deadliest month to date. This number is about the same as the population for the entire city of Pepper Pike. 7,862 — The number of Ohioans reported having died of the coronavirus in December 2021 and January 2022 - combining the two months - the peak of the omicron surge. This number is about the same as the population for the entire city of Independence. But it likely will go higher as the state health department adds more deaths to the totals from those months. 1 — DeWine was the first governor in the nation to close schools statewide when he did so beginning on March 16, 2020. It was initially billed as a three-week spring break, but DeWine later extended the closing through the rest of the school year. 1.7 million — Number of Ohio school children in grades kindergarten through 12, public and private. Over two years, students have been learning from home, coming into school for periods of time, and working in hybrid situations when COVID-19 cases spike. $5.4 trillion — Federal spending on coronavirus relief bills, including the stimulus packages sending checks to every person in the country. The last stimulus package of $1.9 trillion was passed in March 2021, a year before the omicron surge. 16.4% — Ohio's unemployment rate in April 2020, higher than at any point in published state records by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics going back to 1976. The U.S. unemployment rate of 14.8% the same month was a post-Great Depression high. December 2021 employment numbers have returned to Ohio's unemployment rate to 4.5%. $23 billion — Amount of Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program loans that were forgiven in the state of Ohio, initially taken out to help small businesses keep their employees on payroll during the pandemic. 21.4% — Share of Ohio businesses that say that the pandemic has a large negative effect on their operation; 32% expect that it will take more than six months to fully recover as of Feb. 27, according to the U.S. Census Pulse Survey. Both of these numbers are slightly below the national average. 84 — Days Ohio was under an overnight curfew, starting at 10 p.m. on Nov. 19, 2020, and later pushed back to 11 p.m. before expiring on Feb. 11, 2021. Jan. 18, 2022 — The day that the federal government launched https://www.covidtests.gov, a website for people to request at-home COVID-19 tests to be delivered to their homes. Feb. 25, 2022 — The date the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued permission to much of Ohio to drop their masks. However, businesses are still allowed to request patrons to wear masks, and large events still require masks to mitigate the risk of transmission. Cases in Ohio are still higher now than over the summer when the mask mandate was in effect and before the omicron surge. 2 — The number of years the Cleveland International Film Festival and St. Patrick's Day have been canceled or held virtually. This year, both will be back as in-person events. 15 — As in the COVID 15, the amount of weight many people are said to have gained during lifestyle changes brought on by quarantines or by working or schooling at home. It's like being a freshman in college all over again. ©2022 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit cleveland.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.