Fayette County has confirmed their first coronavirus case.
The 22-year-old patient is currently is self-quarantining at home with daily oversight from the health department. Proper follow-up has been done with close contacts. Fayette County joins 49 other counties in Ohio with that were reported as confirmed COVID-19 cases with a state total of 564 as of Tuesday.
Leigh Cannon, Deputy Health Commissioner of FCPH says that while it is not possible to know how many persons have been tested, it is no surprise the virus has made its way to Fayette County.
”We have been running tests as they meet the guidelines, but if a resident gets tested out of county, we would not know it,” explains Cannon. “This appears to be a case of community spread and it is likely there are others with mild symptoms who simply don’t know they have it.”
Cannon points out that, per state guidelines, only those patients whose symptoms are severe enough to require hospitalization and healthcare workers providing care for the ill are being tested at this point.
Both FCPH and FCEMA want to reinforce to the public the importance of exercising safety measures such as proper hand washing, social distancing and observing the Ohio Department of Health’s order to stay at home.