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Athens Co. Downgraded To Level 2 Public Emergency, Confirms 4 New COVID-19 Cases For July 30

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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — Athens County has been downgraded to a Level 2 Public Health Emergency, according to the Ohio Public Health Advisory System. This comes a week after the county was removed from the Level 4 watch list.

The Ohio Public Health Advisory System map for July 30
[ODH]
Gov. DeWine revealed the updated Public Health Advisory System Map during his press conference on Thursday. Athens County was one of 10 counties to be downgraded from a Level 3 Public Health Emergency.

The county triggered three of the seven indicators: new cases per capita, non-congregate cases and outpatient visits.

The news surrounding the update statewide was mixed.

DeWine said numbers in urban counties are going down and seeing improvement, but there are only 23 yellow counties left as spread has increased in rural counties.

Athens County has now had 334 cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic after four additional cases were confirmed Thursday.

The Athens City-County Health Department announced the cases in a press release sent July 30.

An analysis of ODH data indicates all four cases confirmed Thursday involved people aged 20-29. One additional case required hospitalization.

There are 87 known active cases in the county as of Thursday. There are 246 recovered cases, according to the health department. Eighteen 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 county’s downgrade to a Level 2 Public Health Emergency previously would have ended a county-wide mask mandate under the state’s rules. However, a statewide mask mandate went into effect last week.

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.

An age breakdown of Athens Co. COVID-19 cases for July 30, 2020.
An age breakdown of Athens Co. COVID-19 cases for July 30, 2020. [ODH]
The Ohio Department of Health announced 89,626 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 statewide as of Thursday at 2 p.m. There have been 10,678 hospitalizations and 3,442 reported deaths.

The 1,733 new statewide cases reported is the highest daily count Ohio has reported since the beginning of the pandemic.

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.