The Ohio Department of Health is looking into another possible case of the coronavirus. The state is waiting for test results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before it releases more information.

Another possible case of the novel coronavirus in Ohio is being investigated by the state Department of Health — but the agency won‘t say where.

Samples from the person under investigation were sent to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for testing, according to the health department.

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The department will not release information about the patient or even the location of the Ohioan suspected of having the virus. A local health department is monitoring the person and the people he or she came into contact with, according to the state.

>> Read more: Westerville man stuck in China in coronavirus outbreak

“This is part of public health’s ever-present work to balance public interest with the privacy rights of our individual citizens,” Dr. Amy Acton, executive director of the Ohio Department of Health said in a prepared statement. “We are committed to ensuring they receive proper, compassionate care and to preventing any possible spread of infectious disease.”

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If the person under investigation tests positive for the coronavirus, the state will release more location information, Acton said. The department‘s protocol is to wait until a case is confirmed, spokeswoman Melanie Amato said.

But the state department announced last week that it was investigating two Miami University students who eventually tested negative for coronavirus. That information was shared because the university felt a responsibility to notify everyone on campus, Acton said.

University spokeswoman Clair Wagner said Miami worked closely with both the state and the Butler County Health Department. There was a “shared concern” about the need to be transparent with the campus and the city of Oxford, home to the university, she said.

“We're grateful it was a really strong partnership working with the Ohio Department of Health and Butler County for guidance and advice,” Wagner said.

>> Read more: 2 Miami University students test negative for coronavirus

The state Department of Health is now posting the numbers for confirmed cases, negative cases and testing on its website. Numbers will be updated on Tuesdays and Thursdays as the CDC reports its nationwide numbers, according to the department.

No coronavirus case has been confirmed in Ohio, but at least 12 people around the U.S. have tested positive, according to the CDC.

The state department plans to notify local health districts and people suspected of having the coronavirus when test results are received from the CDC.

Acton warned against panic because Ohio remains at low risk for the virus. The state will try to balance the privacy of ill Ohioans with the public‘s need for information, according to a department release.

“Whether someone is ill or well, a traveler or not, they deserve to be afforded the same kindness,” Acton said.

mfilby@dispatch.com

@MaxFilby