As of Monday, there were 22 confirmed cases and two probable cases of COVID-19 in Fayette County with 17 of those individuals recovered and two hospitalized, according to Fayette County Public Health (FCPH).
The age range of cases is 10-70 years old.
COVID-19 cases are reported by the county of residence. Regardless of where an individual gets tested, they will be counted by the county in which they reside. For example, if someone is tested at OSU but they live in Fayette County, OSU will notify Fayette County and the case will be counted in Fayette County.
As the number of individuals being tested increases, there may be temporary differences in the numbers reported by a county versus the numbers reported by the state on the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) dashboard, according to FCPH. During disease investigations, numbers can change, most often due to a change in jurisdiction. When this occurs, the cases will be transferred to the county in which they reside and those numbers will eventually come off of the county’s totals on the ODH dashboard.
In the state, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine held off on announcing when the rest of the state’s child care centers can reopen, saying Monday that it’s essential to get the details right.
The plan is still being constructed, and the Republican governor said he did not want to rush the decision.
“Reopening child care centers is simply too important to do so without all the best information and protocols in place,” said DeWine, who indicated last week that he planned to release a plan on Monday.
With Ohio’s retail stores opening on Tuesday and many offices and factories already operating, many workers are being called back to work but don’t have anyone to look after their children. Only a limited number of child care centers that are caring for the families of essential workers are currently allowed to be open.
DeWine said he understands that child care is an important part of people going back to work, but added he wasn’t comfortable announcing how that will happen until he’s sure it’s safe for families and child care workers.
“It really is a moral imperative that we do this right,” he said.
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FIRST CASES
New testing shows the first COVID-19 cases were in Ohio at least a month before anyone knew, state Health Director Dr. Amy Acton said.
Antibody testing has found that there were five cases of the coronavirus in January in five different counties, she said.
Up until now, the first three cases were reported on March 9.
Increased antibody testing will allow health officials to learn more about the disease and how long it has been spreading, Acton said.
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CASES
The number of confirmed and probable deaths associated with the coronavirus in Ohio has reached 1,357, state health officials said Monday.
At least 1,236 deaths were confirmed by the Ohio Department of Health and another 121 were considered probable under guidelines issued by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The number of confirmed and probable cases neared 25,000 and hospitalizations topped 4,400, the department said.
For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up in a couple of weeks. Older adults and people with existing health problems are at higher risk of more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death.
