COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The Ohio Department of Health provided an update on COVID-19 in the state.

ODH Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff was joined by Major General John C. Harris Jr. of the Ohio National Guard, president of the Summa Health System in Akron and St. Thomas Hospitals Dr. David Custodio, and associate chief medical officer and infectious disease physician Dr. Jennifer Forrester of UC Health.

Dr. Vanderhoff shared details of the initial deployment of the National Guard. They have arrived at the following hospitals:

Mercy Health St. Elizabeth Hospital in Mahoning County 
Mercy Health St. Joseph Hospital in Trumbull County
Cleveland Clinic Akron General Medical Center in Summit County
Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital in Stark County
Summa Akron City Hospital in Summit County
ProMedica Toledo Hospital in Lucas County
Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center in Lucas County

Vanderhoff added that the numbers of cases in Ohio “might double” in the next couple of days with the omicron variant on its way to becoming the dominant variant in the state.

ODH reported 12,502 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, a record-high for reported cases in a day for Ohio since the start of the pandemic. The previous high was 11,885 new cases reported on Nov. 23, 2020, a difference of 617.

Last week, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced he mobilized 1,050 National Guard members to help ease a strain on hospital staff caused by the rising number of COVID-19 patients on wards.