Updated at 4:19 p.m. Friday, March 27
ASHLAND — The Ashland County Health Department has been notified of the second positive test result for coronavirus (COVID-19) in the county.
Health Department Coordinator Jill Hartson made the announcement at a 12:30 p.m. press conference Friday with Ashland Mayor Matt Miller and the Ashland County Commissioners.
The Ashland County Health Department is working to identify any close contacts of this resident who would require testing or monitoring for symptoms of COVID-19. She didn’t immediately provide any additional information about the affected individual, only saying this person resides in Ashland County and had recently traveled.
“Try not to fixate on these numbers because it’s not a very accurate picture of what’s going on. In our community and in the state of Ohio, we do still have limited testing capabilities,” Hartson said. “So even though we might only have several cases, those are only the case that we know of.”
This scenario isn’t unique to Ashland, she reiterated. The number of confirmed positive cases may not accurately reflect all that are impacted.
In Ashland, Hartson said, tests are being used for those who are hospitalized, those who are moderately ill with co-morbidities and health professionals who exhibit signs of COVID-19.
Further, Miller noted current outstanding tests could result in an increased number of positive cases reported in the coming days. It wouldn’t be surprising and is not something the community should be alarmed about.
Along with the news of the second case, Ashland County Health Department announced the county’s first positive COVID-19 case is “fully recovered and doing well.”
Friday at its regular 2 p.m. update, the Ohio department of health did reported three positive cases in Ashland. This is incorrect, Hartson said late Friday afternoon.
“Originally, we were notified this morning that we had two new confirmed cases, but further investigation revealed an old, incorrect address was used for one of the confirmed cases,” Hartson said. “We worked with ODH to officially transfer the case to the correct jurisdiction.
“A glitch in the system caused the case to be identified incorrectly as an Ashland County case. The information should be accurately reflected after the next update to the ODH website.”
When a discrepancy appeared between the state and local data in nearby Knox County earlier this week, the Knox County Health Commissioner Julie Miller addressed why the county level data may not be reported at a state level immediately. There, local data showed a higher number of cases than the state initially reported.
“We’ve had a delay,” Julie Miller said. “There’s a state database that keeps all of the suspected and confirmed cases, and there’s been a delay in getting information into that state database. We are working hard with the places who had tested our two confirmed cases, to make sure they get the information in there.”
Miller encouraged residents to be patient with local and state health departments as they process the rising number of confirmed cases.
“Hang tight,” she told viewers. “We do have two positive cases, it’s just a delay in the state database getting completed. And a lot of that is due to the number of tests coming in and people not being able to keep up with the volume.”
Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton acknowledged this discrepancy in her daily press briefing Monday, too. She shared a similar message with residents across the state: stay patient.
“Often you’re hearing things in the media at a local level before things are confirmed in our state system, so I just want to acknowledge that,” Acton said. “Even my statistics I give you are shot in time, they’re not what’s happening hour-to-hour.”
At the Friday press conference in Ashland, Mayor Miller said a live press conference will likely not accompany every positive test that comes back in the county.
“But we will figure out a way to get that information out to you as quick as possible,” he said.
About COVID-19
COVID-19 is a type of coronavirus that can cause mild to more severe respiratory illness. Symptoms include fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. Symptoms appear within 14 days of being exposed to an infectious person.
According to the CDC, COVID-19 spreads primarily through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Those at high risk for illness of COVID-19 are individuals over 60 with chronic illness or a weakened immune system.
Protect yourself and others from COVID-19 and other communicable diseases by following these recommendations:
- Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
- If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
- Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
- Avoid close contact with individuals who are ill.
- Stay home when you are ill.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue that you immediately discard.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces at home and in your office using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
Ashland Resources
The Ashland County Mental Health and Recovery Board is available to help anyone who feels alone at anytime or those who may be struggling with anxiety related to COVID-19.
The board’s crisis hotline is (419) 289-6111, and its crisis text line can be reached by texting 4HOPE to 741741. Additional information is available online at www.ashlandmhrb.org.
The Ashland Ministerial Association also remains active and willing to assist. The group of local churches will pray for the county’s future in a socially-distanced group of ten or less every Sunday at the Ashland City Municipal Building.
Ashland County Parks District’s parks and other parks in Ashland County remain open. People are encouraged to stay at least six feet from one another.
