News
Athens Co. Confirms 15 New COVID-19 Cases For April 8, Remains Level 3
By: Aaron Payne
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — Athens County has now had 4,911 total cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic after 15 were reported Thursday. The county also remained at a Level 3 on the Public Health Advisory System.
The Ohio Department of Health confirmed the new cases on April 8, 2021.
Analysis of ODH data indicates seven involved people aged 20-29, three people 30-39, two people 0-19, two people 60-69 and one person 40-49.
An additional case involving a person in their 70s required hospitalizations. According to the data, 178 people in Athens County have been hospitalized due to complications related to this coronavirus since the start of the pandemic.
There are 154 known active cases in the county as of Thursday and 4,757 recovered cases, according to the Athens City-County Health Department.
The department also announced it has now administered 8,531 total first COVID-19 vaccine doses and 5,056 total second COVID-19 vaccine doses through its clinic at Ohio University Heritage Hall as of 2 p.m. A total of 31.33% of the county has started the vaccination process, according to 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.
Athens County again remained at a Level 3 Public Health Emergency, according to this week’s Public Health Advisory map.
The county met two of the seven state indicators: new cases per capita and new cases increase. But it did not drop below the high incidence threshold of over 100 cases per 100,000 over a two-week period, keeping it at the Level 3 designation.
Nearby counties saw a change in their level with Morgan County moving from Level 1 to Level 2 and Noble County dropping from Level 2 to Level 1.
ODH 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.
