Aug 8, 2020 2 min read

It took four months into the COVID-19 pandemic for Washington County to register six deaths from the virus.

The number of deaths in the county from the novel coronavirus has doubled in less than a month, state Health Department data shows.

“The numbers keep going up,” Washington County Commission Chairwoman Diana Irey Vaughan said Friday, when a new COVID-19 death was announced in that county.

“We want people to take responsible steps to limit the spread of the virus,” Irey Vaughan said.

Those steps include practicing social distancing, wearing face masks, hand washing and avoiding large crowds, she said.

Washington County added 13 new cases of the virus, taking its Friday total to 821 since March. A dozen deaths in the county have been attributed to COVID-19, state Health Department records show.

There were two new cases announced in Greene County, where one person has died from the virus and 112 positive cases have been recorded.

Fayette County’s case count grew by seven, to 472.

Irey Vaughan said Washington County has quit serving senior citizen meals in congregate settings, urging them to opt for home delivery to slow the spread of the virus among vulnerable people.

“Our senior population is being more careful,” she said. “Our hospitals are not overwhelmed. That’s the good news.”