The Lee County Health Department announced nine new COVID-19 cases Thursday, bringing the county’s total to 237.
The number of recovered patients remained at 44 on Thursday, and there has been one COVID-related death in Lee County.
While identifying details of patients aren’t disclosed, a jailer with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office has been confirmed as having tested positive, as has another employee in an undisclosed county department. There have been unconfirmed reports about an employee at a local nursing facility testing positive, and WRAL reported that an employee at Coty has tested positive. WRAL has also reported that there has been an outbreak at a local food processing facility.
The county does disclose demographic data including age range and gender. Those numbers are updated on a 24 hour delay, so Thursday’s cases are not included. But of the 228 cases known through Wednesday, 59 percent were female and 41 percent were male. There were 42 cases in people under 24, 93 between 25 and 44, 80 between 45 and 64, and 13 over 65.
Meanwhile, Lee County Government announced that several area parks will reopen Saturday, with some limitations.
“We are happy to be reopening our parks to the public,” said Lee County Parks and Recreation Director Joseph Keel. “We know people are looking forward to getting outdoors more and enjoying our trails and open space. Some limitations remain in place but this is a good first step and we continue to work with our government partners to explore and plan for next steps that will create greater opportunity and access for the public to enjoy our various park offerings.”
Playground equipment, basketball courts, and facility rentals will remain closed, and no organized events of any type allowed due to social distancing requirements. For the full list of what will be open, hours of operation, and specifics on limitations, click here.