The number of COVID-19 patients continues to rise in Knox County with 76 new cases reported since Sunday, most resulting from community spread or exposure to another positive case, health department data shows.

The 184 cases reported in October far surpasses the county’s previous monthly high of 119 in July.

During the County Board of Health meeting Wednesday, Lisa Dudgeon, Knox County director of Nursing/Communicable Disease, noted that testing is still under capacity. Most test results are coming back within 72 hours, and they are working to keep fearful patients calm.

“There are lots of close contacts that are starting to become ill,” Dudgeon said.

Board members discussed the increase in people on quarantine who are turning symptomatic.

Of the 76 new cases, almost one-third are due to exposure to a positive case, which often occurs among family members. The other two-thirds were attributed to community spread, when the virus transmits during unknown contact with someone who is infected. It tends to happen when people are not practicing social distancing or wearing face coverings.

The high number of cases over the summer was attributed to an outbreak at a long-term care facility, along with social gatherings. The colder temperatures appear to be fueling the current rise in cases, which have not been tied to one particular event.

Dudgeon said dozens of people are being monitored for contact tracing.

“We have some that don’t want to cooperate, that’s nothing new,” Dudgeon said. “The ones that are willing do what they need to do to get through it, and it goes pretty smoothly.”

At Kenyon College in Gambier, the coronavirus dashboard shows one new case has been diagnosed in the past week. There are now two active cases at the school, and seven people are under quarantine.

Mount Vernon Nazarene University’s dashboard states there are 18 active cases and 71 people under quarantine.

County Board of Health member Barry George, M.D., noted the number questions that have arisen around student athletics and safety measures to follow if a student is diagnosed with the virus.

Board members also discussed cardiovascular concerns as one of the symptoms infected people have experienced, and that the virus symptoms can sometimes change and do different things in different people.