Butler County tops 600 COVID-19 cases, now sits at 615

Butler County topped 600 positive cases of COVID-19 Monday, and according to Health Department Administrator Emily Goodin, the county now has seen 615 total positive cases.

Specific numbers were not available, but the majority already have recovered.

The Butler County Health Department reported 22 new cases Monday, following 15 on Saturday and nine on Sunday.

The surge on Monday, Goodin said, mostly can be attributed to some other facilities not reporting their weekend results until then.

“The high number for today is because some of the reporting businesses don’t report on Saturdays and Sundays, so we get all the reports on Mondays,” Goodin said.

Because of that, she expects Mondays to have higher numbers “from here on out.”

The number of positive cases, Goodin said, also can be attributed to more testing.

“We’re testing more, and we test about 75 people a day,” she said.

In addition, there are “numerous other places that are testing,” she said.

As the pandemic continues into its seventh month, officials still want residents to take precautions to protect themselves and others.

“We’re urging the community to take the necessary precautions, like wearing your mask when you go out in public, washing your hands and staying home if you’re sick,” Goodin said.

A situation which has come up more frequently, Goodin noted, is residents thinking their symptoms are just allergies, but many times that is not the case.

“It is allergy season, and the symptoms are very similar for allergies and COVID,” Goodin said.