The number of positive COVID-19 in Ohio County nearly doubled over the past month, and in Marshall County, the cornonavirus has infected more than twice as many since Oct. 7.
The Marshall County Health Department reported at that time that 184 residents had tested positive for COVID-19, but on Friday with seven new confirmed cases, health officials confirmed that the total in the county had increased to 486 total cases and six deaths.
Nine Ohio County residents have perished after being infected with the virus, according to Health Department Administrator Howard Gamble, and the case total has increased to 765. On Oct. 6, Gamble had tallied 392 positive cases.
“The numbers have been alarming,” said Lou Vargo, director of the Ohio County Emergency Management Agency. “Sometimes when I go to Walmart, I see most people wearing masks, but then other times I see not even half of the people there with one on. I am not sure why that is.
“Since most people have been spending more time inside now that it has cooled off, families have to be very careful while they are spending time with each other,” he said. “Our schools have opened, and our businesses are open, and it needs to stay that way, but we really have to be diligent when we are in public and at home.”
By the Numbers
Between July 6 and Aug. 7, Gamble reported 161 new positive cases in Ohio County, but from the second week of August to September 4, 28 residents tested positive for the virus. Marshall County officials reported 67 new cases in July, but only five from Aug. 6 to Sept. 7.
“We were doing very well in the county there for a while, but we have added about 350 cases the past two months,” said Mark Ackermann, threat preparedness coordinator for the Marshall County Health Department. “We have been doing a lot of testing in Marshall County because of our numbers, and we have found that a lot of residents who are asymptomatic don’t even realize they’ve been infected.
“We began distributing the face coverings months ago because it’s the best way to slow down this virus,” he said. “By now we know who are the most vulnerable, so those folks should be very careful, and we have seen evidence that anyone can be infected with COVID-19.”
Ackermann did report this week a 6-year-old had tested positive in Marshall County.
“For some people it may feel like a flu, but that’s not true with everyone,” Vargo said. “That’s why we will continue to test at multiple locations in the country next week.”
The Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department will conduct mass testing at three locations on Monday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Valley Grove Volunteer Fire Department, the Warwood Fire Station 9 at 1301 Richland Ave., and Wheeling Hospital remains operational on the OVMC campus behind the South Tower.
“If you are not feeling well and you believe you have the symptoms, go get tested,” Vargo said. “Even if you think you could have been exposed because a lot of positives come back for people who didn’t realize they were sick. That’s one of the ways this virus is spreading.”
