WHEELING-OHIO COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT
PRESS RELEASE
Monday, October 26, 2020 (7:30am)
Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department is announcing fifteen (15) new positive cases of COVID-19 in Ohio County. Cases are from Saturday and Sunday. Currently, the health department reports a total of 523 cases, including eight (8) deaths. Case surveillance, contact tracing, and monitoring continues for many of the reported cases.
Wheeling Central Catholic High School and the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department is announcing that Wheeling Central Catholic High School will be in remote learning for 5 days, starting Monday, October 26, 2020, as a result of multiple positive COVID-19 cases at the school. One new additional positive COVID-19 case has been identified at the high school over the weekend. The health department and school officials have investigated and identified individuals who were direct contacts. Those individuals are being contacted and placed in quarantine. In-person instruction will resume on November 2, 2020.
A single positive COVID-19 case has been identified at Triadelphia Middle School. The case is a student who tested positive on 10/22/20. The Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department and school officials have investigated and identified students and staff that were direct contacts. Those individuals were contacted and placed in quarantine.
School staff will conduct appropriate disinfection and cleaning of all areas within the schools. All students and staff should monitor their health. Anyone who develops symptoms of COVID-19 should get tested. The Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department reminds all students and staff to continue to follow proper COVID-19 prevention and health practices including wearing face coverings, practicing social distancing, hand washing, and routine cleaning.
Investigation to date indicates that cases are associated with resident and nonresident vacation travel, group events including family gatherings, cases at higher education centers, and cases with no other risk factor, which can be an indicator of active community spread. The Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department is monitoring multiple outbreaks among facilities in Ohio County.
Ohio County and Ohio Valley residents are advised to limit public contact, implement social distancing, work at home where possible, wear a face-covering when out in public, indoors, or at work, wash your hands frequently, and contact your personal physician if you become ill with fever, cough, or difficulty breathing.
The Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department is reminding Ohio Valley residents that if you are tested for COVID-19 that you are to remain in home isolation until you receive negative test results. Individuals who test positive will be contacted by a county health department and receive further instructions in regard to care and monitoring.
If positive, you should restrict activities outside your home, except for getting medical care. Do not go to work, school, or public areas. If you have a medical appointment, call the healthcare provider and tell them that you have or may have COVID-19 prior to arriving at the facility. This will help the healthcare provider’s office take steps to keep other people from getting infected or exposed.
The off-site Wheeling Hospital COVID-19 testing clinic continues operations. Ohio Valley residents who are interested in being tested at this location should call the on-call number at (304) 221-3995. Testing is also available at Doctor’s Urgent Care, call (304) 232-0725 for more information; MedExpress is also testing for COVID-19, for more information call (304) 242-4228; Wheeling Health Right is offering testing, call (304) 233-9323 for more information.