CUYAHOGA COUNTY, Ohio — A newborn baby is among those who have now tested positive for COVID-19 in Cuyahoga County.
Health officials confirmed the news during a press conference Monday morning.
“We’ve had minors since the very beginning under the age 18 who are positive in our community,” said Dr. Heidi Gullett, medical director for the Cuyahoga County Board of Health. “It’s a special, vulnerable population and we just really need to focus on preventing transmission to protect those who are most vulnerable, which includes our children.”
She said a study is being done to determine how transmission occurs with newborn babies.
Excluding infections calculated in the city of Cleveland, health officials in Cuyahoga County are now reporting a total of 574 confirmed coronavirus cases. The age range is 1 week old to 101 years old. The Cuyahoga County Board of Health is also reporting 15 deaths within their jurisdiction, ranging in age from 63-91.
“This is gonna be a while before we recover back to where we know life – probably never exactly the same – as we did,” Dr. Gullett said.
She also urged the importance of wearing masks while out in public – with one key reminder.
“Masks are not a substitute to social distancing.”
Dr. Gullett said testing is of critical importance.
“I will continue to remind everyone how important testing is. I won’t stop until we get more testing. I don’t know where it’s going to come from or who’s going to pay for it, but I’m going to continue to push because that’s crippling us.”
You can watch the county's full press conference from Monday morning in the player below:
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