COVID claims 10th life

CELINA - A 10th Mercer County person has died from COVID-19, according to a news release on Friday.

Three new cases of the virus also were reported, raising the county's total to 294. No new cases were reported in Auglaize County.

The 10th death was a 93-year-old woman who was a resident at The Gardens at Celina, county health district officials said in the release.

"The (health district) staff would like to express our deepest sympathies to her family and friends during this difficult time," the release reads.

This marks the second confirmed death from COVID-19 at The Gardens at Celina, which also has recorded one probable death. Health officials declared an outbreak of the virus at the facility on June 3.

The facility has had 34 confirmed cases, including 24 residents, two previous residents and eight employees. Twenty-two of those cases are active, according to the release.

An outbreak also was declared at The Gardens at St. Henry on May 13. The facility has had 31 cases, which consisted of 14 staff members, one previous staff member, 15 residents and one previous resident. The five deaths recorded at the facility make up half of all deaths in the county.

Health officials noted, however, that The Gardens at St. Henry has no active cases at this time.

The three newest Mercer County cases affect two women from the age of 80-90 and one man from the age of 60-70. All individuals are self-isolating at home, according to the release.

Health officials also reported seven probable cases, 236 people who have recovered, 72 pending tests, 1,339 negative test results, four hospitalizations and one probable death from COVID-19.

Celina has the largest number of cases at 129; Coldwater has 59; St. Henry, 48; Fort Recovery, 26; Maria Stein, 12; Rockford, nine; Mendon, five; Chickasaw, three; and Burkettsville, one, according to the health district's online dashboard at arcg.is/1mTqa5.

The dashboard includes a map of cases by town and ZIP code and demographic breakdowns by race, sex, age range and the number of cases by the date when the tests were taken.

The map also includes a breakdown of long-term care and confinement facilities with confirmed cases of COVID-19 among staff and/or residents. Officials update the online dashboard each weekday by 4 p.m.

Of the 294 confirmed cases, 48 are active, according to the release.

On Tuesday, National Guard personnel tested employees and some residents at long-term care facilities in Mercer County. District officials are expecting results within the next couple of days.

Officials also gave an update on the outbreak at the Cooper Farms processing plant in St. Henry.

The business has had 69 confirmed cases and two pending tests involving residents from Mercer County, according to the release. Of the 69 cases, four are active.

Officials also reported 11 confirmed cases involving people living in surrounding counties. None of these cases is active.

In a separate release on Friday, the Mercer County Health District recognized Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Celina, and St. Teresa Catholic Church, Rockford, for their support during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The parishes have given monetary donations to help with community outreach, according to the release.

"We are tremendously grateful for the continued support of groups like the Immaculate Conception parish and St. Teresa Catholic Church as we continue working to serve the community in new ways in response to the COVID-19 pandemic," health administrator Jason Menchhofer said.

As of Friday afternoon, the Ohio Department of Health reported 62,856 confirmed and probable cases in the state, an increase of over 1,500 new cases from Thursday. ODH also reported 8,701 hospitalizations and 3,032 confirmed and probable deaths from COVID-19.

COVID-19 cases/deaths:
Ohio cases  62,856
Ohio deaths  3,032
Mercer County cases  294
Mercer County deaths  10
Auglaize County cases  102
Auglaize County deaths  4