COLUMBUS — Ohio officials say the state still has no confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, but test results are awaited from five people — and officials hope such tests can now be done within the state.
Health Department Director Dr. Amy Acton said Saturday test results on nine people had come back negative and the state “amazingly” still had no cases — “but we will have one any day now.”
Test results on five people are awaited back, one from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, two from the state health department and two from a private lab, she said.
Gov Mike DeWine said the Ohio department of health now has the ability to conduct testing with a turnaround time of eight to 24 hours. In addition, a private lab in Ohio can now do testing and another lab in the state will begin tests Monday. In about two weeks, officials expect hospitals to be able to test for the virus.
Acton said the department’s lab will prioritize tests of the elderly, those with pre-existing health conditions and compromised immune systems, and health care workers. Other tests by private labs will be done only with a doctor or health provider’s order, which could be given remotely via phone or tele-medicine.
DeWine also said the health department will now post information about the number of people under investigation seven days a week rather than only five.
Additional Coronavirus information and resources:
COVID-19/2019 Novel Coronavirus Overview from the CDC:
“2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV/COVID-19) is a virus (more specifically, a coronavirus) identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China. At this time, it’s unclear how easily or sustainably this virus is spreading between people. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common in many different species of animals, including camels, cattle, cats, and bats. Rarely, animal coronaviruses can infect people and then spread between people such as with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).”
“When person-to-person spread has occurred with MERS and SARS, it is thought to have happened mainly via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how influenza and other respiratory pathogens spread. Spread of MERS and SARS between people has generally occurred between close contacts.”
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Symptoms
The symptoms of coronavirus are fever and lower respiratory tract issues, such as cough and shortness of breath, according to the Cuyahoga County Board of Health.
Travel
Anyone traveling internationally should review plans in advance of their trip, and check the CDC’s COVID-19 Travel Information Page for daily updates and travel alerts.
Click here for the CDC COVID-19 Travel Information Page
Practice Good Hygiene
The CCBH recommends the following good hygiene practices to prevent coronavirus, as well as the flu, colds and other illnesses:
- Sneeze or cough into the bend of your elbow to keep germs from spreading
- Regularly wash your hands with soap and water/use alcohol-based hand sanitizer in between
- Don’t share cups, spoons, forks, etc. with anyone
- Don’t make food for anyone if you are sick
- Don’t go to work or school if you are sick
- Visit a doctor, urgent care or emergency department if you are sick – don’t take chances
Please contact your medical provider with any questions.
Guidance for those with compromised immune systems
Click here for specific guidance from the CCBH for anyone at higher risk for becoming ill.
Additional Resources
Cuyahoga County: See the CCBH page on coronavirus here.
Ohio Department of Health:
Click here for the Ohio Department of Health’s Coronavirus information page.
It is updated daily at 2 p.m. with the current number of confirmed cases, persons under investigation and persons under investigation who tested negative for the disease.
As of Thursday afternoon, there are zero confirmed cases in Ohio, three persons under investigation in Ohio, seven persons who have tested negative for COVID-19, and a total of 255 people who were or are under health supervision since the novel coronavirus was first reported.
More resources from ODH:
Fact sheet
Prevention infographic
Resources and information
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The CCBH has created this list of coronavirus-related resources from the CDC:
Homepage for COVID-19 materials and information
Fact sheet – Chinese
Fact sheet – English
Fact sheet – Spanish
Guidance for businesses
Guidance for colleges and universities
Guidance for communities and mass gatherings
Guidance for healthcare facilities
Guidance for healthcare professionals
Guidance for people with elevated risk for illness
Guidance for pregnant women
Guidance for risk assessment
Guidance for schools
Guidance for travelers
What you can do to stop the spread of COVID-19 – Chinese
What you can do to stop the spread of COVID-19 – English
What you can do to stop the spread of COVID-19 – Spanish
If you are sick with COVID-19 – Chinese
If you are sick with COVID-19 – English
If you are sick with COVID-19 – Spanish
Preventing spread of COVID-19 at election/polling/voting locations
Prevention and treatment
Symptoms – overview
World Health Organization
Coronavirus information
Mythbusters – the truth about food, packages, pets and other things related to COVID-19
Video – What is COVID-19?
Video – What is my risk of getting COVID-19?
Video – How can I protect myself from COVID-19?
