Staff writer
A steep upward trend in recent COVID-19 diagnoses continued this past week with eight new cases on Tuesday bringing the week’s total to 19 reported by the health department.
Tuesday’s eight new cases included four teens — three girls and a boy — a man and two women in their 20s, and a man in his 40s.
All are in isolation, the health department said.
Two patients are hospitalized and 22 have symptoms of the virus.
The 19 new cases of the last week bring the total number of cases to 172 since April.
On Monday two women in their 70s, a woman in her 60s, a man in his 70s, and a man in his 50s were found to have the virus.
On Friday the county reported three women, one in her 80s, one in her 50s, and one in her 30s.
On Thursday, a man in his 60s was reported.
Last Wednesday, two women, one in her 60s, the other in her 30s, were confirmed to have COVID-19.
The countywide infection rate is now 14.5 cases per 1,000 residents, an increase of 1.6 in the past seven days.
Counties with infection rate increases of 1.0 or more over seven days are classified federally as “red zones.”
Visitors to such counties may be required by some localities to quarantine after returning from those areas.
During recent weeks’ increases, Bethesda Home in Goessel developed 12 COVID-19 cases and was placed on a state list of active COVID clusters. Details on the outbreak at Bethesda are included in a separate story.
