Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The number of Davie residents who have contracted the COVID-19 virus continues to increase slightly.

The Davie County Health Department reported on Monday that 24 Davie residents have had the virus, up two from the previous week.

The 24 is a total number. Two people died. Most who had the virus have recovered, with a few confirmed cases still active.

Suzanne Wright, health director, says that many more people may have the virus but do not show symptoms. She encourages people to continuing sheltering at home, wearing masks in public, staying six feet away from one another in public, washing hands frequently and avoiding touching the face.

“Act like everyone is contagious,” she said.

A standard definition of recovery has not been determined, and is different from person to person, she said, making it difficult to provide data on recovered COVID patients.

If wearing a face coverning, do not touch it, adjust it, or remove it until you have washed your hands. Also, wash your hands after removing it.

Do not touch your face if wearing gloves. When wearing gloves, avoid touching surfaces like a phone screen that you would normally touch with your hands. You can transfer the virus while wearing gloves. Disenfect any items touched, even if wearing gloves.

“Please remember, wearing gloves is not a replacement for washing your hands,” she said.