Photo from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Five new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed by Marion County Public Health Thursday. The fourth fatality related to the virus was reported to the state from the county this week. There are 79 active cases and 694 recoveries, with the two-week average positive test rate at 12 percent. Marion County Public Health reminds residents they are not able to do serology testing at this time, and do not plan to open serology testing to the public any time soon, so staffing and resources continue to focus on PCR testing, which is critical in diagnosing, and contact tracing to educate and prevent the spread of COVID-19. There are eight Marion County residents hospitalized with the virus.