The Ashland County Health Department (ACHD) is reporting the 11th and 12th positive laboratory test result for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Ashland, Ohio residents.
As a safety precaution, hospitals and outpatient clinics are ordering COVID-19 testing for individuals prior to surgery. Two tests have recently come back positive in individuals who had no COVID-19 symptoms. The recommendation to wear a face covering while in public lowers the risk of an asymptomatic carrier spreading the virus to others.
“Ashland does have lower numbers than surrounding counties, but that doesn’t mean that COVID-19 isn’t a risk to our community,” said Jill Hartson, public information officer for the ACHD. “We have been fortunate we have not experienced any deaths from COVID-19, and we have had only one hospitalization, but that could change if we don’t take a personal responsibility in preventing the spread of the virus.”
Ashlander’s are reminded to follow the Ohio Director of Health’s Stay Safe Ohio Order that is in effect until 11:59 p.m. May 29, 2020. It states all Ohioans must stay at home or at their place of residence except as allowed in the exceptions listed in the order. The order can be viewed at https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/static/publicorders/Directors-Stay-Safe-Ohio-Order.pdf. The order provides additional guidance on the gradual reopening of Ohio.
If individuals must leave their home, they should protect themselves and others by doing the following: practice social distancing, wear a face covering, disinfect frequently touched surfaces, and wash hands often.
To minimize the risk of infecting healthcare workers, individuals should call ahead before seeking medical care to discuss symptoms. According to the Ohio Department of Health (ODH), COVID-19 symptoms can include fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chills, repeated shaking with chills, diarrhea, vomiting, conjunctivitis, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, and new loss of taste or smell.
The following is a history of the number of confirmed laboratory cases of COVID-19 in Ashland, Ohio:
· Case #1 on March 18, 2020
· Case #2 on March 27, 2020
· Case #3 on April 2, 2020
· Case #4 on April 9, 2020
· Case #5 on April 10, 202
· Case #6 on April 26, 2020
· Case #7 on April 27, 2020
· Case #8 on April 30, 2020
· Case #9 on May 1, 2020
· Case #10 on May 4, 2020
ACHD is currently monitoring 128 individuals who had a known exposure to COVID-19. Since the first positive COVID-19 case was identified in Ashland, the ACHD has monitored a total of 838 individuals.
Additional information is available at the ODH website, www.coronavirus.ohio.gov. ODH also staffs a Call Center 7 days a week from 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. The number is 1-833-4-ASK-ODH (1-833-427-5634