Four members of a Butler County family are quarantined in their home after testing positive for the coronavirus yesterday, as confirmed at a press conference by UC Health early Friday. Three other members of the family are now awaiting test results.
The patients were treated at the UC Health West Chester location and were released to be quarantined in their home.
“They may all become positive but we are not certain at this time,” said Jenny Bailer, Health Commissioner for Butler County General Health District.
“We are not sure where they picked up this virus,” said Bailer. “We are not saying that it is community spread.”
Bailer went onto add that there is a possible link to a foreign country and a possible link to a state here in the U.S.
She also said that they are also tracking several separate cases. Of those, four have come back clear and two are still pending.
Another group of 30 who went to a conference in D.C. are also in quarantine, as they may have come into contact with confirmed cases of the coronavirus. Of the group, some were made up of people from Miami University. None appear to be sick.
As per News 5 in Cleveland, an ABC affiliate, there are 13 confirmed cases in Ohio and 159 under investigation, six of which are in Cuyahoga County, a county that covers a vast part of the Cleveland Metro Area.
Classes at several universities have moved or will be moving to online in the past week, and many local Dayton schools intend to suspend in-person classes, all measures urged by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who declared Ohio in a state of emergency on Monday.
Health officials ask if someone is experiencing symptoms, such as fever, cough and shortness of breath and have experienced some exposure risk factor such as travel or close contact with another sick person, that person call their physician’s office, or the Ohio Department of Health at 1-833-4-ASK-ODH (1-833-427-5634) before visiting an emergency room or a doctor’s office.
For updates on the numbers of cases confirmed, under investigation and negative, as well as tips and information visit coronavirus.ohio.gov.
Richard Foltz
Executive Editor