DOVER A 38-year-old man being treated at Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital is the first presumptive case of coronavirus in Tuscarawas County, health officials announced Saturday.

The man is recovering well. No other information was released about his identity.

"We have already been in contact with anyone who needs to take action," Tuscarawas County Health Commissioner Katie Seward said during a news conference at the county health department with other local leaders.

She said she expected more cases of the virus.

"I would say as soon as the next day or so we could start to see additional cases," she said. "That is why we are asking individuals to only seek testing if medically necessary.

"We know that community spread is here. The individual that contracted the illness had no known travel history as well as no contact with anyone who had been tested positive for COVID-19. So it's evident this individual did catch the virus from community spread. We know it's out there already and so it's just a matter of time before we have more cases."

The news of the local case did not come as a surprise to officials.

"We have been planning, we have been preparing," Seward said. "We have community interventions in place to slow the transmission. Our investigation is currently ongoing. Our main goal is to isolate those who are ill, identify any close contacts and monitor for illness.

"We are asking the public not to panic. Please do not overrun our local health care system by presenting and requesting tests that are unnecessary. If you are experiencing fever and a cough and it is manageable, please stay home. Only the most serious cases that require medical attention will be tested."

New Philadelphia Health Commissioner Vickie Ionno said there are no cases in New Philadelphia, but cases are expected.

Darrin Lautenschleger, director of community relations for Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital, said there are steps that people should take if they suspect they have coronavirus.

First, they should contact their primary care provider. If they don’t have one, they should visit a tele-health service like Cleveland Clinic Express Care online.

Residents should not come to the emergency center for coronavirus testing. The emergency center is set up for those who need the most critical care, he said.

"We did set up a tent outside the entrance to the emergency center and today a second tent was set up at the hospital's First Care Urgent Care service in Dover," Lautenschleger said.

Patients are being screened with a series of questions before accessing both locations for care.

On Monday, tents will be set up at the hospital’s primary care offices on Dublin Drive in Dover, in Newcomerstown and New Philadelphia for screening before entering the offices.

"For patients who are concerned and have symptoms of the common cold, please stay home and monitor your symptoms for a period of time," he said. "If your symptoms worsen, the next step is to call the hospital primary care offices at 330-602-0778 for further instructions."

Some hospitals nationwide have been experiencing shortages of necessary items such as masks and gloves, but Lautenschleger said the Cleveland Clinic system is ready.

"The entire Cleveland Clinic system is continuing to monitor the needs of each individual location and as with other locations around the country, that is a priority item to make sure that our caregivers are protected, that the supplies that we need are there and that's a front and center issue as we stand right now," he said.

Belmont County Deputy Health Commissioner Robert Sproul said the county has two confirmed cases of COVID-19. They are a man and woman, both in their 50s, who are quarantined together in their home, he said during a Friday news conference at the department near St. Clairsville.

Sproul said the two had attended a conference in Washington, D.C. – the same conference in which a person from Cleveland attended and later tested positive. He said the couple hadn't been feeling well, but didn't put two and two together until the Cleveland announcement.

Officials were informed of the positive results on Thursday.

"We’ve been in contact with all of their contacts and they will be under a 14-day quarantine also," Sproul said.

There are other people who are being tested, however, the results will not come back for two to four days.

Sproul stressed social distancing, especially for the elderly population. He added that those experiencing symptoms should call their doctor for testing instead of crowding the hospitals.