Andrew Smith, professor of practice in the A.Q Miller School and chairman of the Collegian Media Group board of directors, is the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Riley County.

“He is in the hospital with bilateral pneumonia that is not improving and is on oxygen. There are wonderful medical professionals helping,” a Facebook post made by his wife on Saturday says.

Smith shared the post to his own timeline.

Smith recently traveled to London with his family and seven students in the journalism school for a spring break study abroad trip for the digital journalism sequence. Those students and his family are currently in quarantine in their respective homes.

“When the group returned on Monday, Andrew did not feel well, and his condition rapidly worsened,” Steve Smethers, interim director of the journalism and mass communications department, said in an email sent to faculty on Saturday.

Smith was not immediately available for comment.