County COVID Deaths Up 2; 54 New CasesTwo more COVID-19 deaths and 54 new molecular and antigen positive cases were reported to the Kosciusko County Health Department between noon Tuesday and noon Thursday.
This gives the county a cumulative total of 1,820 positive cases, 461 active cases and 25 deaths, according to a KCHD news release Thursday.
The age range of COVID-19 deaths is 61 to 95 for men, with an average age of 80.5 years old; and 62 to 98 for women, with an average age of 85.2 years old. Women account for 996 of the 1,820 cases, with men accounting for 824.
By age, there have been 370 cases in people age 19 to 29 years old; 320, 50 to 59; 262, 40 to 49; 255, 60 to 69; 223, 30 to 39; 184, birth to 18; 112, 70 to 79; and 94 cases involve those 80 to 99 years old.
A charge provided by the KCHD indicates that 75% of the cases are white, 21.70% are Hispanic, 2.09% are “unknown” and 1.21% are other including African American, Indian and Asian.
The 2019 novel (new) coronavirus, or SARS-CoV-2, is a respiratory virus first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. The name of the disease it causes, COVID-19, stands for corona (CO), virus (VI), disease (D) and the year it was identified.
The novel coronavirus is a new coronavirus and is important for several reasons, according to www.coronavirus.in.gov.
First, it’s a new virus that has not been previously identified. The virus that causes COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) is not the same as the coronaviruses that commonly circulate among humans and cause mild illness, like the common cold. That means there is no known cure or vaccine.
Second, some people are at higher risk of getting very sick from this illness than others, including older adults and people who have serious chronic medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes and lung disease. This risk to specific populations means that the CDC and Indiana Department of Health are asking individuals to practice everyday precautions to protect high-risk individuals, ourselves and others. This includes staying home when sick, practicing effective handwashing, wearing a mask, keeping physical distance of 6 feet away from others and not touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
As a comparison, from the 2010-11 to the 2019-20 season, Influenza A and B viruses annually killed 12,000 to 61,000 in the U.S., the CDC estimates. In comparison, the COVID-19 virus (SARS-CoV-2) has killed more than 210,000 in the U.S., according to data from the CDC.
