Wednesday, August 26th, 2020
13th Mercer COVID death reported
Only four new cases reported in the area
By Leslie Gartrell
CELINA - A 61-year-old St. Henry man reportedly is the 13th person to die from COVID-19 in Mercer County.
The newest death was accompanied by two new confirmed cases, raising the county's total to 754, according to a county health district news release on Tuesday.
In Auglaize County, two new confirmed cases brought that county's total to 365.
Mercer County Health District staff expressed their condolences to the family and friends of the deceased in the release.
Public information officer Kristy Fryman said the man was not a patient at a long-term care facility and had been hospitalized prior to his death.
The incidence rate in the county, or the number of new cases in a given time frame, has decreased recently, according to the release. Gov. Mike DeWine on Tuesday announced that Mercer County has an incidence rate of 189.4 new cases per 100,000 residents - a significant decrease from the 245.3 new cases per 100,000 reported on Aug. 19.
While district health officials said the decreasing rate is a good sign, work still needs to be done to stop the spread of the virus in the county.
"It's encouraging to see our COVID-19 incident rate drop; however, we can't let our guard down," Fryman wrote in an email to the newspaper on Tuesday. "We need the citizens of Mercer County to continue to follow the rules & recommendations to help stop the spread of the virus. It will take everyone's efforts to help us get where we need to be."
Mercer County is still considered to be a high-incidence county on the Ohio Public Health Advisory System since more than 100 cases per 100,000 residents have been reported within the last two weeks.
The county remains at Level 3 on the system. A county designated at Level 3 or Level 4 on the system cannot drop below Level 3 until it no longer has a high-incidence rate of the spread of COVID-19, according to the release.
Since the beginning of the month, 245 cases have been reported in the county, which is the largest number of cases reported in a month since the beginning of the pandemic.
Mercer County residents can continue doing their part to stop the spread of the virus by wearing a face covering, washing their hands, using hand sanitizer, covering the nose and mouth with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing, staying home when sick and cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces, according to the release.
Avoiding close contact with others and staying at least 6 feet away from others is equally important.
Health officials in the release also reported 30 probable cases, 664 people who have recovered, 43 pending tests, 2,731 negative test results, five hospitalizations, 13 deaths and one probable death from COVID-19. Of the 754 confirmed cases, 75 are active, according to the release.
Cases have been reported in all areas of the county since the beginning of the pandemic. Since March, Celina has had 339 cases; Coldwater, 119; Fort Recovery, 97; St. Henry, 93; Maria Stein, 48; Rockford, 23; Mendon, 14; Chickasaw, 11; Burkettsville, four; and Montezuma, three, according to the district's online COVID-19 dashboard at https://arcg.is/1mTqa5.
Auglaize County Health Department officials reported the two newest cases are women, ages 41 and 22, according to a news release. Both are self-isolating at home.
Department officials also reported 37 probable cases, 302 people who have recovered, 35 total hospitalizations and eight deaths, according to the release. Of the 402 confirmed and probable cases, 92 are active.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, cases have been reported throughout Auglaize County, including St. Marys with 169 cases; Wapakoneta, 101; Minster, 43; New Bremen, 41; Cridersville, 24; Waynesfield, 11; New Knoxville, four; Botkins, three, Lakeview, two; St. Johns, two; New Hampshire, one; and Uniopolis, one.
As of Tuesday evening, the Ohio Department of Health reported 116,495 confirmed and probable cases in the state, 12,956 hospitalizations and 3,996 confirmed and probable deaths from COVID-19.
COVID-19 cases/deaths:
There were 2 new cases in Mercer County. Auglaize County also had 2.
Ohio cases 116,495
Ohio deaths 3,996
Mercer County cases 754
Mercer County deaths 13
Auglaize County cases 365
Auglaize County deaths 8
