MOUNT VERNON – Just one percent of the tests administered last week at Knox Public Health’s COVID-19 drive-thru testing site came back positive, according to data released Monday by the health department.
Out of the 176 individuals who received a diagnostic test, only two proved to be positive for the novel coronavirus. They were a 65-year-old female and a 75-year-old male; both are currently self-isolating at home and have not needed hospital care, according to the health department.
Knox Public Health opened up its first round of community testing to anyone who wanted one; patients simply had to be 18 years or older with viable transportation. Both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals were eligible to receive a test.
To get tested, community members had to schedule an appointment with the health department over the phone (testing was conducted during business hours Wednesday-Friday) and show up at their designated time. Patients then went through a three-step drive-thru process that took approximately 10 minutes, according to nurses who administered the tests. Patients were given a cotton-swab diagnostic test that was ultimately sent to either the Ohio Department of Health or a private lab for results.
As of Tuesday, a total of 1,043 specimen kits had been sent from Knox County for testing. The county has seen 33 positive cases (29 confirmed and four probable) and 992 negatives. Twenty-three infected individuals have recovered, five are being monitored, and one has died. Sixteen tests results are pending.
Of the county’s 29 confirmed cases, there have been 14 from Mount Vernon, seven from Centerburg, four from Fredericktown, three from Danville, and one from Howard.
Knox County Health Commissioner Julie Miller said she was “not surprised” by the results from last week’s community testing event. Knox County currently has the 18th-lowest case count in the state, and is tied for the eighth-lowest number of hospitalizations, despite ranking 40th in population size. It is the only county in the Columbus metropolitan region (which includes 11 counties) to have fewer than 30 confirmed cases.
Miller attributes this to the county’s proactive approach in handling the pandemic. She believes local businesses and individuals did their part to stem the spread early by shutting down and social distancing. The health department’s COVID-19 call line kept countless potentially infected individuals home, Miller added, instead of going to the hospital or doctor’s office for clinical advice.
“We’ve been fortunate to have low numbers. Our fatalities, hospitalizations, and overall numbers are low. So I’m not surprised at all,” she said of the community testing results.
Miller was also not phased by the turnout last week. Although Knox Public Health had 300 tests available, Miller said she understood why only 176 scheduled an appointment. She believes interest in the virus has declined in recent weeks, as the state has begun to lift restrictions and people have returned to work.
Given the testing shortage at the state and national levels, it took Knox Public Health three months to gather enough specimen kits to conduct community testing. By the time the health department announced its drive-thru initiative in late May, the state’s stay-at-home order had already been reduced to an “urgent health advisory.”
“I wasn’t surprised. We were kind of late on that,” Miller said of Knox County’s community testing initiative. “If we would’ve done it in that first part of April, or all of April, we would’ve had many more people interested.”
Miller believes Knox County’s low numbers may have also deterred residents from getting tested.
“If I had 60,000 more test kits and I could test everybody, I still don’t think everybody would come in for testing,” she said. “I think we’re past that point, unless we have a slew of positives come in over the next few days.”
Still, Miller urged the public to remain vigilant. Employees at local businesses are required by the state to wear face coverings at all times, and customers are encouraged to do the same. The Ohio Department of Health still recommends that people follow six-foot social distancing guidelines and maintain proper hygiene in order to prevent the spread of the virus, which has no vaccine.
While the state’s growing caseload has slowed in recent weeks, hundreds of new infections are still being reported every day. Over 2,400 Ohioans have died from COVID-19 since March, and 6,620 have been hospitalized. More than 39,000 Ohioans have been infected by the novel coronavirus, as of Tuesday.
While Knox County has seen low coronavirus numbers so far, only 1.6 percent of its population has been tested. Miller said she is most concerned about Knox County’s at-risk populations, including those in long-term care facilities and the county jail. KPH has saved some of its specimen test kits to handle potential outbreaks at those locations, she said.
“We’re not out of the woods yet,” Miller said. “Do I believe the virus is still in Knox County? Definitely… I just get concerned about our at-risk populations.”
So, what will Knox Public Health do with the leftover tests from its first community testing session? Miller said a team of health department officials will meet Wednesday to determine next steps.
KPH will likely hold another community testing event, Miller said, although the date and location have not yet been determined. She hinted at potentially conducting community testing in Centerburg, given the number of positive cases in the village.
“We’re looking to probably take something off-site…” Miller said. “We already covered the Mount Vernon area by having a clinic here… We will look at the demographics and determine what we want to do.”
Those who feel symptoms of COVID-19 (fever or chills; cough; shortness of breath or difficulty breathing; fatigue; muscle or body aches; headache; new loss of taste or smell; sore throat; congestion or runny nose; nausea or vomiting; or diarrhea) are still encouraged to call the health department’s COVID-19 call line at 740-399-8014 (open 8 a.m.-noon on weekdays).
There, nurses can screen patients over the phone and determine if they meet the state’s criteria to be tested. Patients who meet the criteria will be able to receive a test at the Knox County Community Health Center.
