Health Dept. reports 4 new COVID deaths

VW independent/submitted information

As of Thursday, the Van Wert County General Health District reports four additional deaths of county residents who tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of deaths for county residents to 53. 

The health department waits to confirm a COVID-19 death until it is able to receive the death certificate. If the death occurs in another county or state, it can be a considerable amount of time prior to receiving the certificate, thus causing a lag in reporting time. 

The increase this week was a result of tracking down a few outstanding cases to confirm the cause of death on the certificate. The age ranges of the deceased are ages 90-99, one; ages 70-79, one; age 60-69, two.

The health department reports an increase of 13 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since Thursday, March 5, for a total of 2,259 confirmed cases. Van Wert County was also downgraded to a Level 2 (orange) on the Public Health Advisory System, and there are no known hospitalizations at this time.

To date, the health department has given 6,614 COVID-19 vaccinations.  Media and news outlets will have announcements regarding future vaccination clinics.