The Delaware General Health District reported Friday afternoon there are currently 52 people with active cases of COVID-19 in Delaware County.
The number of active cases is derived from adding 261 confirmed cases (lab-tested positive results) and 74 probable cases (exhibiting symptoms, including chills, cough, fever, muscle pain, new loss of taste or smell, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, and sore throat). These total cases are then subtracted from the 272 recoveries (symptom- and fever-free) and 11 deaths in the county.
The number of active cases reached a high of 71 on May 21. Since the DGHD reporting began on March 18, there have been 48 total hospitalizations. Currently, three people are hospitalized. There are 879 people who have completed monitoring and are out of quarantine, and 196 people currently being monitored and are in isolation.
Of the total cases, 51% are female, the median age is 49.5, and the age range is 1 to 90. For reference, Delaware County has a population of 205,559 or 74,243 households.
Worldwide, the Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 Dashboard states that as of Friday afternoon, there were nearly 6.7 million infections from the novel coronavirus, up from 5.8 million a week ago. The world population is 7.8 billion. The United States has 1.8 million confirmed cases, three times more than the second-most nation, Brazil. Other countries with more 80,000 cases are, in order: Russia, United Kingdom, Spain, India, Italy, France, Germany, Peru, Turkey, Iran, Chile, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Pakistan and China.
The U.S. has had 108,664 deaths from the global pandemic. Total global deaths stands at 393,205. More than 2.9 million people have recovered worldwide, again led by the U.S. with 485,002 recoveries. The U.S. has an estimated population of 333 million.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states on its website that 34 of 55 U.S. jurisdictions are reporting more than 10,000 cases of COVID-19, including Ohio.
The Ohio Department of Health stated as of 2 p.m. Friday there were 37,758 total cases in Ohio, with 35,096 confirmed cases and 2,662 probable cases. There were 2,355 deaths (2,135 confirmed and 220 probable), 6,385 hospitalizations, and 1,632 intensive care unit admissions. The ages range from 1 to 109, with a median age of 49.
Franklin County has the highest number of cases in the state with 6,323 and the most deaths at 295. Cuyahoga has the second-most cases at 4,789 and the most hospitalizations at 1,177. Other counties with more than a thousand cases are Hamilton at 2,811, Marion at 2,688, Lucas at 2,329, Pickaway at 2,099, Summit at 1,529 and Mahoning with 1,486.
The ODH is reporting Delaware County has had 40 persons hospitalized and 14 deaths. The DGHD states the discrepancies are because the portions of Columbus, Dublin and Westerville that are in Delaware County are being handled by Columbus Public Health and Franklin County Public Health.
Delaware’s other neighboring counties had the following totals as of Friday afternoon: Licking had 271 cases, 38 hospitalized and 10 deaths; Morrow had 108 cases, eight hospitalized and one death; Union had 56 cases, five hospitalized and one death; and Knox had 25 cases, six hospitalized and one death.
The ODH advises the following “precautions to protect yourself, your family, and your community”:
• Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; dry hands with a clean towel or air dry hands.
• Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer when soap and water are unavailable.
• Cover your mouth with a tissue or sleeve when sneezing or coughing.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Avoid contact with people who are sick.
• Clean “high-touch” surfaces daily. These include counters, tabletops, doorknobs, light switches, bathroom fixtures, toilets, phones, keyboards, desks, and tablets.
For more information on the novel coronavirus, visit DelawareHealth.org/Covid-19, coronavirus.ohio.gov or cdc.gov/coronavirus.
