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Cuyahoga County saw its highest weekly increase in new COVID-19 cases since late March.

The county board of health reported 484 new cases this week, up by 159 from last week's count of 325 new cases. Their reporting does not include cases in the city of Cleveland.

鈥淭his is the biggest weekly increase we鈥檝e had since the pandemic hit our community,鈥� said Medical Director Dr. Heidi Gullett.

The previous highest jump in cases occurred the week of March 20. Gullett said the number of new cases reflects the increase in testing, but that the virus is still spreading rapidly.

鈥淭ransmission continues robustly in our community,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e all got to continue to do our part, because the virus continues to transmit.鈥�

Currently, the county has reported 2,493 total confirmed cases and 507 probable cases, excluding data from the city of Cleveland. Eighteen new deaths occurred this week, including a 36-year-old, the youngest person to have died of COVID-19 in the county thus far.

鈥淚 know a lot people, maybe if they haven鈥檛 been affected by it personally, maybe don鈥檛 realize how serious a risk it is, but we had a 36-year-old person in our community die this week,鈥� Gullett said. 鈥淭his is very serious.鈥�

Gullett did not say whether the 36-year-old had a pre-existing condition.

The county also reported 1,070 cases of patients recovering from COVID-19.

Health Commissioner Terry Allan addressed Governor Mike DeWine鈥檚 recent announcement that people will be permitted to visit residents outdoors starting June 8 at long-term care facilities, such as assisted living facilities and homes for the developmentally disabled. Allan said he encourages people to still wear masks and stay socially distant while visiting at these facilities.

鈥淭he concern is 鈥� people hugging, kissing, potentially transmitting the illness, unknowingly and unintentionally, to the people they love,鈥� Allan said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e asking people to make some sacrifices and follow the guidelines.鈥�    

Officials also addressed health disparities related to the virus.

鈥淲hile we are not able to speak in generalizations yet in COVID-19 data, we are seeing higher rates of hospitalizations and ICU admissions in African Americans,鈥� said Director of Health and Wellness Romona Brazile.

Allan said officials are trying to ramp up testing in minority and other vulnerable populations to address these disparities.