Osage County reports its first COVID-19-related death

Osage County has recorded its first COVID-19-related death.

Osage County Health Administrator Susan Long said the person was hospitalized for several days before succumbing to the disease.

"This person was retired," Long said in a statement. "Out of respect for the family, I will not be providing further details about this individual."

Osage County's total COVID-19 case count since the start of the pandemic is up to 40 as of Monday evening, according to the county Health Department.

"Less than five days ago, we were at 30," Long said. "We now have 10 active cases with 29 recovered. Two people were hospitalized including the deceased individual. Three others have been severely ill, but not quite ill enough to be admitted to the hospital. The age ranges have been from 7-85. There have been 20 females and 20 males."

Long said COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in every area of the county.

"It has been spread across the ranges of occupations and businesses," Long said. "We have had contacts as young as toddlers and about as old as our oldest case. These continue to be more highly related to travel, but we have definitely seen household transmission with just a small portion that are community-acquired, meaning that we were unable to determine exactly where the person was exposed at.

"I never expected to keep the COVID virus out of Osage County," Long added. "What we as a health department along with our community partners have attempted to do is to 'flatten the curve' so that our health care system was not overwhelmed. That is something that, at least in Central Missouri, we have been able to accomplish so far."

Symptoms of COVID-19 may include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, and congestion or runny nose. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the coronavirus, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Most people with COVID-19 have mild illness and are able to recover at home, according to the CDC. Anyone who thinks they may have been exposed to the coronavirus should contact their health care provider and stay home when sick, the CDC advises.