COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine shared an update on his condition during a COVID-19 press conference alongside the state health department’s director, Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff.

The meeting, scheduled for 2:30 p.m. and held virtually, came on the heels of the governor contracting COVID-19 earlier in the month. It was his second time receiving a positive test.

DeWine confirmed during the conference that he was 10 days out from initially contracting the virus. He added that he took another COVID-19 test prior to attending, and it came back negative.

“My experience was fairly light, candidly,” DeWine said; “I had been vaccinated several times before, and I took the drugs that were prescribed as soon as I was diagnosed with it, and frankly, have had a pretty easy time. I feel good.”

The ODH director and governor noted that data is showing high-risk populations, such as people who are 60 and older, are being hospitalized the most by the virus.

“We’re still losing two people a day, who are dying from COVID,” DeWine. “Getting the vaccine is certainly the best thing you can do and give the best chance of not getting really sick once you get it.”

Over the course of the summer, Ohio saw COVID-19 cases sink to record lows for 2023. The state had less than 2,000 new cases per week heading into June. More recently in the course of September, cases trended upward before falling back down. the Ohio Department of Health reported Thursday that the state had 7,721 new cases in the past week. Comparatively, it saw 8,224 cases from Sept. 15 through Sept. 21 and neared 10,000 in the week prior.

Hospitalizations have also risen through September before falling, with the latest report showing 255 compared to 312 patients during the week of Sept. 15. Deaths climbed consistently, with ODH reporting 33 compared to 28 in the week prior.

Still, the pair of speakers did not see any kind of coronavirus public safety protocols coming back anytime soon.

“I don’t see that we’re going to be imposing any kind of mask mandates,” DeWine said. “The vaccine is readily available.”