File Photo An inmate at the Belmont Correctional Institution who had tested positive for the novel coronavirus has died.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — An eighth death related to the new coronavirus pandemic has been reported in Belmont County, where total positive cases and recoveries continue to increase.

Belmont County Deputy Health Director Robert Sproul reported Thursday that the latest death was that of an inmate at Belmont Correctional Institution. He said the inmate was a man in his 60s with underlying health conditions. Officials at the prison made no comment but said questions would be referred to the Ohio Department of Corrections. No response was received Thursday.

Located west of St. Clairsville and housing about 2,500 inmates, the prison has been the chief center of new cases in recent weeks. Sproul has said that the high concentration of people and layout of the prison make social distancing measures difficult there.

The latest information from coronavirus.ohio.gov places the total number of cases among inmates at BeCI at 88, with 44 recoveries and 14 pending test results. A total of 58 staff members have tested positive, with eight recovered. Sproul and his department continues to alert staff and visitor family members and their contacts of those positive results and caution them to self-quarantine.

This week, Belmont County’s total number of positive cases crossed 300, with 318 people testing positive for the virus as of Thursday. Sproul said 180 patients have recovered. Nine people remain hospitalized.

The total number of deaths among Belmont County residents who had tested positive is now at eight. There had been an additional fatality reported, but the state took that death off the official list for the county because the individual’s residency in Belmont County was in doubt.

Nursing homes are another area where concentrations of new cases are occurring, according to Sproul. He said Rolling Hills Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Bridgeport recently received some false positive test results and was having residents and staff re-tested with a different company. Those results have all been negative so far.

“There was an issue with the lab. There was a question on the validity of the tests,” Sproul said. He added that this will not reduce the number of total cases, since the Ohio Department of Health never recognized these results.

Mason Bigler, executive director of Rolling Hills, said 95 percent of second-round test results have been received, with no confirmed positives among residents or staff.

“We utilized Wheeling Hospital’s lab and a private lab company to help break up the testing (the second time). We tested over 130 individuals,” he said. “We were trying to identify anybody who was an asymptomatic carrier.”

Bigler said the new negative results have been a relief.

“These are trying times, that’s for sure. Hopefully we’ll get a vaccine developed soon and have this whole thing put behind us,” he said.

Barber shops, salons and tattoo parlors across Ohio are permitted to reopen today. Retail businesses were able to reopen their doors Tuesday.