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Athens Co. Confirms 16 New COVID-19 Cases For July 17

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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — Athens County has now had 250 cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic after 16 additional cases were confirmed Friday.

The Athens City-County Health Department announced the cases in a press release sent July 17.

No demographic information was provided by the health department regarding the cases. An analysis of ODH data indicates 12 of the cases confirmed Friday involved people aged 20-29, one involved a person aged 30-31, one involved a person aged 0-19, one involved a person aged 50-59 and one involved a person aged 60-69.

The local health department said after the county’s first confirmed case on March 26 that investigations into patients’ close contacts would be conducted.

There are 162 known active cases in the county as of Friday. There are 87 recovered cases, according to the health department. Ten people in the county have had to be hospitalized since the start of the pandemic. There has been one death related to COVID-19 in the county that happened in March.

The numbers come a day after Gov. Mike DeWine announced the county had been upgraded to Level 3 on the Ohio Public Health Advisory System due to very high exposure and spread of coronavirus.

A county-wide mask mandate from the state goes into effect at 6 p.m. Friday.

An age breakdown of Athens Co. COVID-19 cases for July 17.
An age breakdown of Athens Co. COVID-19 cases for July 17. [ODH]
Anyone experiencing respiratory symptoms is asked to call their primary care physician, urgent care, or emergency department before arriving for care to let them know that they believe they are experiencing symptoms related to COVID-19 virus.

The Ohio Department of Health announced 72,280 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 statewide as of Friday at 2 p.m. There have been 9,445 hospitalizations and 3,112 reported deaths.

The DOH makes the following recommendations to protect yourself from illness:

  • Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; dry hands with a clean towel or air dry hands.
  • Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer when soap and water are unavailable.
  • Cover your mouth with a tissue or sleeve when sneezing or coughing. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Stay home when you are sick.
  • Avoid contact with people who are sick.

Ohio’s coronavirus call center is open to answer questions from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. The hotline number is 1-833-4-ASK-ODH or 1-833-427-5634. More information is available at coronavirus.ohio.gov.