Two members of the university community have tested positive for COVID-19. | Credit: Lantern file photo
Two members of the university community have tested positive for COVID-19 — the first cases directly related to Ohio State, according to a universitywide email from University President Michael V. Drake Wednesday.
The two individuals returned to central Ohio following separate business trips to the east and west coasts, and the cases are unrelated, according to the email. One of the individuals has not returned to campus since showing symptoms, while the other had come to campus for part of a day, with limited contact with some people but no contact with students or patients. The individuals are now self-isolating at home, according to the email.
Those who might have been exposed to either person have been contacted and are taking steps to self-quarantine for 14 days in accordance with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the email.
Anyone who has not already been contacted does not need to take any additional precautions beyond practicing social distancing and good hand hygiene, the email said.
The email said it did not include the identities of either individual because “the anonymity of individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 is important so that they can focus fully on their health and the care they need.”
As of Tuesday, there are 67 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ohio and 333 people currently under health supervision, according to the Ohio Department of Health website.
Drake recommended in the email that anyone experiencing signs or symptoms of COVID-19 or believes they have been exposed to an individual with COVID-19 should contact their primary care physician or the Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State’s COVID-19 Call Center at 614-293-4000.
“Ohio State is coordinating with partners at the city, state and federal levels to manage these challenges as effectively and efficiently as possible – and will continue to share information as we have it,” Drake said in the email.
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