Active cases dip despite new confirmations

Health officials announced two new cases of novel coronavirus in Lincoln County on July 22, but said the number of active cases had fallen.

Both patients were in their 80s, officials said in a press release. Jennifer McCully, public health manager for the county, said the man and the woman have been hospitalized.

Active cases have dropped to 21 in the county, down from a high of 35 on July 15. Most people recover from the virus and the associated disease, COVID-19, although it remains dangerous to high-risk populations, including the elderly and those with preexisting conditions.

As for the two latest patients, officials said it remained unknown how the pair were exposed to the virus. The growth in cases where officials cannot determine the source of infection helped prompt authorities last week to announce that the coronavirus had reached community spread status in the county.

A contact tracing investigation is underway, officials said.

Overall, the county has seen 50 cases of the novel coronavirus with five individuals requiring hospitalization. As of July 23, 28 people have recovered from the virus. One individual, a Bull Lake resident in his 70s, succumbed to complications related to COVID-19.