Knox County sees an upward trend of COVID-19 cases

MOUNT VERNON — The COVID-19 pandemic in the current month of July has not spared Knox County from having a surge, despite maintaining a low overall case count compared to surrounding counties.

Knox Public Health reported Tuesday that the county has 93 confirmed cases. There have been 21 new cases since Friday, 14 of which were reported on Monday.

The county started the month with the same digits flipped, 39. That’s 53 additional cases in July with more than a week left until August. All recent cases are attributable to community spread, according to KPH.

Even worse, the newest reported group of cases includes nine elderly individuals, ages 71 to 92, who reside at the Country Court Skilled Nursing Center in Mount Vernon. The group includes both staff and patients, according to KPH. There were nine cases reported Monday in isolation at Country Court. KPH spokesperson Pam Palm provided an update late Tuesday evening, readjusting the figures to 10 patients and three staff members who tested positive.

“The identification of these cases came from testing that Country Court requested and was done at Knox Community Hospital,” Palm said. She added that last week, as part of a statewide testing effort for long-term care facilities, the Ohio National Guard had also tested all patients and staff at Country Court. KPH does not yet know the results of National Guard testing.

The month also included the county’s second death attributable in part to COVID-19, Edward “Joe” Filipowicz, 74, of Howard. As the county’s 48th case, he was tested July 1 at Knox Community Hospital Urgent Care, with the results confirmed July 4 followed by hospitalization at Knox Community Hospital. He was later released from KCH, and KPH initially listed Filipowicz as having recovered.

“He was later discharged from KCH and released from isolation by Knox Public Health because he no longer was experiencing COVID-19 symptoms,” Palm said.

But Filipowicz’s condition worsened following the release and he was readmitted to KCH before being transferred to St. Ann’s Hospital in Westerville. He had developed pneumonia related to COVID-19, Palm said, and died Saturday at St. Ann’s.

The county’s positive case count is likely to increase soon, as results are made known from the 266 people tested during a drive-thru event Monday at East Knox schools, held in cooperation with the Ohio National Guard.

Palm said another drive-thru testing event is being planned soon.

The surge in July cases is concerning enough that county Health Commissioner Julie Miller will hold a Facebook Live event Thursday at 5 p.m. “to address the county and discuss what we need to do as a community to stay yellow,” Palm said.

Palm referred to the Ohio Public Health Advisory System and its four color-coded levels for counties — with Level 1 counties in yellow, like Knox, referring to “active exposure and spread” but having the least amount of community spread among the four levels. No counties are reported yet at Level 4, the purple color code, which means severe exposure and spread.

Numerous counties surrounding Knox, however, are coded red — very high exposure and spread, with Richland and Licking being two of them. Meanwhile, another county similar in size to Knox with more than 60,000 residents, Athens County, has gone into the red, with 284 positive cases as of Tuesday. The county has seen a huge, 700 percent increase over the past several weeks, attributed to downtown bars in Athens traced to be “hot spots.” Athens is now subject to a mandatory mask order in public places, and stores require them as well.

To stay yellow, according to KPH, Knox County residents need to mask up, maintain social distance, limit gatherings, wash your hands, get fresh air and remain home when sick.