Advertisement Ohio's peak for COVID-19 expected May through mid-June, Cleveland Clinic CEO says Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Citing the latest models, one of Ohio's top medical institutions said the peak of COVID-19's viral spread across the state could be later than initially projected. Speaking Friday morning on MSNBC, Dr. Tomislav Mihaljevic said the state may not see the peak number of new cases until mid-June. Mihaljevic, CEO of Cleveland Clinic, spoke candidly about the virus's spread as hospitals across the state prepare for an oncoming surge. "The big unknown is how far this disease spread before social distancing was in place. The timeline is really challenging. Our modeling predictions are telling us that if we’re able to flatten the curve to some extent, we’re expecting the peak of this disease – at least in our home-state of Ohio – to occur sometime between mid-May and mid-June, with a gradual decline of a number of cases toward mid- to late-July. This is the best case scenario," he said. Watch the full segment here from MSNBC.Mihaljevic's data pushes the peak back a bit later than what state leaders have been touting, although all are quick to note that the models are ever-changing. The state's health director Dr. Amy Acton has consistently said the viral spread is expected to peak mid-April to early May, which lines up with the front half of the newest models."I wish I could give you hope about your summer," Acton said earlier this week, saying it will be months before the state returns to some sort of normalcy. At its peak, Ohio could see between 6,000 and 10,000 new confirmed cases per day, Acton said. But even after that peak happens, Ohio will not immediately return to normal.“This will not be a switch you flick and everything will go back to normal. Life will be different for quite some time to come, and maybe in some ways that are permanent."The peak could be more of a plateau, state officials said. After its peak, the number of reported cases of the new coronavirus will slowly fade. The state will likely have several social distancing restrictions in place, even as cases dwindle.As of Thursday afternoon, Ohio has more than 2,900 confirmed COVID-19 cases. State officials say those are likely much higher due to little testing. For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. Older adults and people with existing health problems are among those particularly susceptible to more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover.