The number of coronavirus cases in Ohio continues to climb, with Mahoning County continuing to hold the grim distinction of having the highest death toll from the disease. 

As of Wednesday afternoon, there are 2,547  confirmed cases of the virus in the state. 

Those numbers include 177 in Mahoning County,  58 in Trumbull County and  19 in Columbiana County. 

Mahoning has ten deaths, the most in the state for the second day in a row. Trumbull has three and Columbiana has two. The total number of deaths in the state is up to 65. 

Only Cuyahoga and Franklin counties have more cases of the virus, 

Projections for the number of new cases show Ohio on pace for a peak somewhere around mid-April, but the number of deaths could continue to rise for weeks afterward. 

The exact peak is based on a few different models, one from the Cleveland Clinic and one from the Ohio State University, which Dr. Amy Acton, director of the Ohio Department of Public Health, has been referencing in daily briefings. 

Those models suggest that at the peak of the pandemic in the state, there could be as many as 6,000 to 10,000 new cases per day. 

Acton and Governor Mike DeWine have focused their efforts in recent days on finding ways to increase hospital capacity in order to handle the surge of new patients. 

While many people who contract the virus won't require hospitalization, as many as half of those who do will require intensive care and in many cases, ventilators, which are in short supply. 

Acton has said Ohio's early efforts toward mitigating the spread of the virus have made great strides towards increasing hospital capacity, which had been at over 70 percent and is now down to around 55 percent, with the elimination of elective surgeries and a decline in flu cases. 

Acton has likened that decrease to a "calm before the storm," though, saying double or triple hospital capacity will be needed to handle the thousands of new cases that are expected. 

The department has divided the state into eight regions, each of which is tasked with coming up with a plan to increase hospital capacity and manpower. Those efforts may include graduating medical and nursing classes early, bringing healthcare professionals out of retirement and using the National Guard to help identify places that can be used for extra beds, such as convention centers or college dorms.