Hello Beaver Dam – People’s Bank

GRDHD reports 19 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, 10 cases in Ohio County

In Local, News by OC Monitor Staff

OWENSBORO, Ky. — Friday, May 15, 2020, the Green River District Health Department reported 19 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases, four in Daviess County, four in Henderson County, 10 in Ohio County and one in Webster County. The total number of reported COVID-19 cases in the district is 570.

Twenty people in the district are currently hospitalized. Of the 570 confirmed cases in the district, 67 (12 percent) have required hospitalization. The district-wide total of recovered cases is now 377 (66 percent). As of May 14, 2020, the state of Kentucky was reporting 7,225 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 328 statewide deaths.

Ohio County continues its alarming increase in confirmed cases of COVID-19 with today’s 10 new cases. Ohio County has had a total of 128 cases of COVID-19, with 62 of those patients having recovered. At this time, Ohio County has 66 active cases of COVID-19. If there’s any good news out of today’s report from the GRDHD, it’s that there is only one COVID-19 Ohio County patient hospitalized and there has been no one from Ohio County to die from the disease.

The health department will continue to offer free COVID-19 testing next week. Curbside testing will be available at its clinic sites in McLean and Webster Counties on Tuesday. The health department will also provide testing from its mobile unit in Fordsville this Tuesday. Testing will be available at the health department’s Daviess, Hancock, Henderson, and Union County locations Wednesday.

To schedule an appointment visit the GRDHD website, https://healthdepartment.org, and follow the COVID-19 Test prompts. You must be pre-registered to be tested. If you are sick, experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, including but not limited to a fever, cough and shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, or feel you have a medical emergency, call your health care provider.

The cases being reported from the Green River District Health Department have been investigated and confirmed locally. These cases are then reported to the Kentucky Department for Public Health.

Additional demographic information includes*

Average age: 44

Age range: 7 months old – 93

Male – 54.9 percent

Female – 45.1 percent

The health department wants to reinforce this guidance with the community:
<ul>
<li>Stay home, avoid crowds and social distance</li>
<li>Avoid close contact with people who are sick (fever, cough, sneeze, and difficulty breathing).</li>
<li>To avoid close contact, stay at least 6 feet away from others.</li>
<li>Wear a cloth face cover when you have to go out in public.</li>
<li>Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.</li>
<li>Stay home when you are sick.</li>
<li>Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.</li>
<li>To avoid coughing into your hands, you can cough into your elbow.</li>
<li>Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.</li>
<li>Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.</li>
<li>If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.</li>
</ul>
Adults over 60 and people who have severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease seem to be at higher risk for more serious COVID-19 illness. Those people should be extra vigilant and stay home. To help answer the community’s questions about COVID-19, the Kentucky Department for Public health has set up a website with the latest guidance and information for Kentucky residents. The site can be accessed at <a href=”https://govstatus.egov.com/kycovid19″ target=”_blank” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>www.kycovid19.ky.gov</a>. The public can also call the Kentucky COVID-19 hotline at 800-722-5725.