COVID-19 cases in Knox County jumping 'dramatically'

MOUNT VERNON – COVID-19 cases are “dramatically” increasing in Knox County among all age groups, county health officials said.

So far in October, there have been more than 99 cases in Knox County, more than double the number last month, the County said.

“That’s an incredible jump for us,” Health Commissioner Julie Miller said in a Facebook Live event on Thursday.

October could break the record for the most cases in a single month, surpassing July's 119 cases. The summer increase was attributed to summer outings and a long-term care facility outbreak.

“There are no large-scale events contributing to the current increase,” Knox Public Health said in a news release.

Although there have been cases of COVID-19 spreading among family members, community spread is the primary cause of the spike in cases.

“Community spread happens more often when people do not wear masks or social distance from one another,” the  release said.

The increase could be due to people spending more time indoors away from colder weather or from of residents growing weary of wearing masks.

“We get together with family, or we get together for reunions— that’s why we’re seeing more positive cases,” Miller said.

So far, there have been 391 total COVID-19 cases in Knox County and 16 deaths. Only four of those who tested positive in October have been hospitalized. All the rest were isolated at home, the County said.

The average age of recent patients is 48.

“These are working individuals, some of them asymptomatic, spreading the disease if they aren’t wearing their masks,” Miller said.

So far, schools have not been hit by the uptick.

“I can tell you that we have no outbreaks in any of our local schools,” Miller said. At this point, she is not advising school districts to change their protocols because of the uptick.

Miller does advise families to wear masks when distributing Halloween candy and to make sure children wear non-costume masks when trick-or-treating. She also advises limiting family Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings to 10 people or less and shopping online to avoid exposure.

“It takes all of us to make this community healthy,” she said, advising also that residents take care to protect their mental as well as physical health.

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Knox County Positive COVID-19 Cases as of Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020

Results Received	Symptom Onset/Date of Test if Asymptomatic	Age	Gender	Details	Current Status
10/22/2020	Unknown	65	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/22/2020	10/19/2020	65	M	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/22/2020	10/19/2020	32	M	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/22/2020	Unknown	32	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/22/2020	10/12/2020	40	F	Exposed to a positive case	Isolated at home
10/21/2020	10/18/2020	61	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/21/2020	10/15/2020	40	M	Exposed to a positive case	Isolated at home
10/21/2020	10/18/2020	38	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/21/2020	10/15/2020	49	F	Exposed to a positive case	Isolated at home
10/21/2020	10/17/2020	57	F	Healthcare Worker in Knox County	Isolated at home
10/21/2020	10/15/2020	29	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/21/2020	10/11/2020	57	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/2/12020	10/16/2020	47	F	Exposed to a positive case	Isolated at home
10/20/2020	10/18/2020	67	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/20/2020	10/14/2020	62	M	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/20/2020	10/12/2020	79	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/20/2020	10/13/2020	39	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/21/2020	10/15/2020	15	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/20/2020	10/18/2020	60	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Hospitalized
10/21/2020	10/16/2020	73	M	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/21/2020	10/19/2020	22	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/21/2020	10/11/2020	84	M	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/20/2020	10/15/2020	50	M	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/21/2020	10/19/2020	39	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/21/2020	10/9/2020	23	F	Exposed to a positive case	Isolation complete
10/14/2020	10/10/2020	21	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/20/2020	unknown	22	M	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/20/2020	10/17/2020	62	M	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Hospitalized
10/20/2020	10/17/2020	51	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/20/2020	10/15/2020`	27	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/20/2020	10/19/2020	62	M	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/20/2020	10/17/2020	70	M	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/19/2020	10/12/2020	39	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/19/2020	10/10/2020	41	M	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/19/2020	10/13/2020	83	M	Exposed to a positive case	Isolated at home
10/19/2020	10/9/2020	61	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/19/2020	10/19/2020	42	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/19/2020	10/19/2020	25	F	Exposed to a positive case	Isolated at home
10/17/2020	10/12/2020	59	M	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/17/2020	10/17/2020	75	M	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Hospitalized
10/17/2020	10/15/2020	72	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/17/2020	10/13/2020	68	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/17/2020	10/13/2020	43	F	Exposed to a positive case	Isolated at home
10/17/2020	10/12/2020	7	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/17/2020	10/11/2020	20	M	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/17/2020	10/15/2020	58	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/17/2020	10/15/2020	48	M	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/17/2020	10/15/2020	56	M	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/16/2020	10/12/2020	47	M	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/16/2020	10/15/2020	71	M	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/16/2020	10/12/2020	71	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/16/2020	10/15/2020	23	M	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/15/2020	10/13/2020	20	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolated at home
10/16/2020	10/11/2020	21	M	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/16/2020	10/12/2020	36	M	Healthcare Worker in Richland County	Isolation complete
10/16/2020	10/12/2020	53	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/16/2020	10/12/2020	25	M	Healthcare Worker in Knox County	Isolation complete
10/16/2020	10/10/2020	45	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/15/2020	10/1/2020	17	M	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/15/2020	10/15/2020	86	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Hospitalized
10/15/2020	10/5/2020	77	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/14/2020	10/7/2020	81	F	Exposed to a positive case	Isolation complete
10/14/2020	10/9/2020	50	M	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/14/2020	10/12/2020	20	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/14/2020	10/11/2020	18	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/13/2020	10/8/2020	19	F	Healthcare worker in Knox County	Isolation complete
10/13/2020	10/7/2020	36	F	Healthcare worker in Delaware County	Isolation complete
10/13/2020	10/8/2020	19	F	Exposed to a positive case	Isolation complete
10/13/2020	10/9/2020	57	M	Exposed to a positive case	Isolation complete
10/13/2020	10/10/2020	21	M	Healthcare worker in Knox County	Isolation complete
10/12/2020	10/6/2020	72	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/10/2020	10/9/2020	18	M	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/11/2020	10/10/2020	66	M	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/11/2020	10/5/2020	30	M	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/11/2020	10/4/2020	27	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/10/2020	10/5/2020	52	M	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/9/2020	9/30/2020	23	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/9/2020	10/6/2020	55	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/9/2020	10/6/2020	46	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/9/2020	10/6/2020	22	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/9/2020	10/7/2020	59	F	Healthcare worker in Richland County	Isolation complete
10/8/2020	10/2/2020	24	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/8/2020	9/30/2020	67	F	Exposed to a positive case	Isolation complete
10/8/2020	10/5/2020	77	M	Exposed to a positive case	Isolation complete
10/8/2020	10/7/2020	23	M	Exposed to a positive case	Isolation complete
10/8/2020	10/4/2020	73	F	Exposed to a positive case	Isolation complete
10/7/2020	10/6/2020	73	M	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/7/2020	10/2/2020	27	M	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/6/2020	10/2/2020	68	M	Exposed to a positive case	Isolation complete
10/6/1980	9/30/2020	69	M	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/6/2020	9/29/2020	29	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/5/2020	9/28/2020	23	F	Healthcare Worker in Ashland/Richland County	Isolation complete
10/5/2020	9/27/2020	53	F	Exposed to a positive case	Isolation complete
10/5/2020	10/2/2020	73	F	Exposed to a positive case	Isolation complete
10/5/2020	10/1/2020	88	F	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete
10/4/2020	10/1/2020	16	M	Healthcare Worker in Knox County	Isolation complete
10/2/2020	9/26/2020	54	M	Exposure attributed to Community Spread	Isolation complete

Source: Knox County Public Health