The following article was originally published in the Ohio Capital Journaland published on News5Cleveland.com under a content sharing agreement.
The Vinton County Health Department has confirmed two local cases of the coronavirus, ending the county’s 11-day run as the only one in Ohio without a confirmed case.
The health department confirmed the cases on Saturday evening. A local nurse had confirmed to the Ohio Capital Journal she had tested positive earlier in the evening.
Both individuals were tested elsewhere, as Vinton County does not have a hospital or other available testing means. County-by-county data has typically involved reporting the cases of residents in each county, not necessarily where they were tested.
The nurse told the Capital Journal she works for a Columbus-area nursing home and was tested at a drive-thru facility in Columbus.
“We have contacted the patients and the individuals potentially exposed and they have been given instructions to self-isolate and monitor for symptoms,” the health department stated in a news release.
The county health department reports 29 other residents have tested negative and there are several outstanding tests still pending.
“I’m really sad we aren’t Covid free anymore,” the nurse told the Capital Journal.
Vinton and Harrison counties were the only two left on April 14 without a confirmed case of COVID-19, but the first Harrison County case was reported that evening.
Vinton County has been alone since that date. The first confirmed case in the state of Ohio was reported on March 9 in Cuyahoga County.
