News

Athens Co. Confirms Second Death Related To COVID-19

By: Aaron Payne
Posted on: Tuesday, August 11, 2020

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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — Athens County has now had its second death related to COVID-19 since the pandemic began.

The Athens City-County Health Department confirmed the news in an August 11 press release.

“While cases in Athens County have declined over the last month, the recent death is a strong reminder of the potential dangers of the disease,” the press release read. “We encourage everyone to continue to wear a facial covering in public and maintain a physical distance of at least 6 feet, to reduce the risk of transmitting COVID-19.”

An analysis of Ohio Department of Health data indicates the death involved a man aged 60-69.

The county has a total of 360 COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic after one additional case was confirmed Tuesday.

ODH data indicate the new cases involved a person aged 20-29. An additional case required hospitalization, bringing the county’s total to 21 since the beginning of the pandemic.

There are 63 known active cases in the county as of Tuesday. There are 295 recovered cases, according to the local health department.

Athens City-County Health Department provided an update on results from the pop-up COVID-19 testing site held at Athens High School on Friday.

“There were 515 people from Athens County and surrounding areas tested by the Ohio National Guard with more than half of those tested under 29 years of age,” according to the press release. “At the time of this press release only two positive cases have been identified as part of the August 7th testing event.”

A second pop-up testing event will take place this Friday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Athens High School. The test is free and available to anyone.

No appointment or doctor’s recommendation is required, but the health department requests people fill out registration materials before coming. Those materials are available on the Athens City-County Health Department website. They will also can be filled out at the event.

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 102,826 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 statewide as of Tuesday at 2 p.m. There have been 11,760 hospitalizations and 3,708 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.