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Rural counties continued to see a spread of coronavirus into their communities, with Mercer and Darke counties topping the list of cases per 100,000 residents.
From Aug. 4-17, Mercer County had 245.3 cases per 100,000 and Darke County had 207.4.
Preble, Champaign and Auglaize counties were also in the top 10 at 159, 113.2 and 109.5 case per 100,000 respectively.
Dr. Jim Borchers, a specialist in sports medicine at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, said to keep athletes healthy during the pandemic, their communities need keep wearing masks and practicing social distancing.
“The health of the community around athletes is of the utmost importance,” he said.
Borchers added that prevention is key and that the focus should be on preventing the spread of coronavirus and not on what happens when an athlete tests positive.
There have been 109,923 total cases of coronavirus and 3,871 deaths attributed to the virus in the state, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
More than 850 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, which was down from the 21-day average of 1,116. Thirty-nine deaths have been reported in the last day, up from the average of 23.
Hospitalizations increased by 117 to a total of 12,436. There were 19 ICU admissions reported, bringing the total to 2,805.
There have been 1,863,180 people tested for coronavirus in Ohio throughout the pandemic. Over the last week, an average 4.5% of those tested were positive for the virus. The state is reporting 89,068 presumed recoveries.
According to data released last week, more young adults are testing positive for the virus. Those ages 20-29 make up 19.4% of cases reported in August, the most of any age group. The age group was also the highest in June and July.
In March, people ages 50-59 made up the largest group, before dropping to ages 30-39 in May and then 20-29 in June.
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