ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Belmont County’s number of people with the novel coronavirus, aka COVID-19, continues to rise, but with only a single new positive case Thursday compared to sharp increases through the week.

After going from 191 to exceeding 200 cases on Wednesday, with 202 total cases and 55 recoveries, Deputy Health Director Robert Sproul said there were 203 total cases Thursday.

Sproul said he expects to report more people recovered from the virus and out of quarantine soon.

He said other numbers hold the same, with eight people hospitalized and eight deaths of individuals who have tested positive for the virus since the first reported cases on March 13. Sproul said all those who have died had underlying conditions.

Some area nursing homes have had a rise in positive cases, but according to Sproul the most significant local center of increasing coronavirus infections is the Belmont Correctional Institution west of St. Clairsville.

The facility houses close to 2,600 inmates and the latest figures from coronavirus.ohio.gov place 67 inmates in isolation, with 59 of them infected and 10 awaiting pending results. A total of 20 have recovered.

The prison staff has also been hit, with 32 positive results and one recovery.

More recently, staff family members and contacts of the inmates have reported positive cases. Sproul said his staff remains hard at work tracking down potential contacts of each new person infected and telling those who may have had contact with the infected person to self-quarantine.

The pandemic continues to impact all areas of life, from physical health to economic and social health. Thursday’s National Day of Prayer, traditionally a public gathering, was instead held online in some cases or privately as individuals were asked by their pastors to pause and pray.

Graduation events have also been canceled or postponed, but school districts staff are reaching out to try to make the end of the year memorable for graduates, particularly graduating seniors.

Meanwhile, the Belmont County board of commissioners and the auditor will determine the extent of economic loss to the area. The courthouse has also changed, with face-masks now a requirement among employees.

Sproul has asked that residents exercise caution and sound judgement as businesses re open in Ohio and in other states.