By Brett Milam

Editor

The first case of coronavirus has officially been confirmed in Clermont County, according to Clermont County Public Health.

A resident of the county, CCPH said the patient is a female in her 60s. She has not been hospitalized, and has not had any recent travel history or any known exposure to a confirmed case.

“Following protocol set by the Ohio Department of Health, our nursing staff has been in contact with the individual since we were notified of the positive test result,” Julianne Nesbit, Health Commissioner of CCPH, said. “We have been working with the individual to identify people who she has come in contact with and are advising those individuals to self-quarantine for 14 days.”

Nesbit added, “We have been preparing for this for several weeks and have been working closely with our county Emergency Management Agency and ODH to make sure we have all the resources we need.”

The news comes after John Cranley, mayor of the city of Cincinnati, announced three new positive cases of COVID-19 in the city of Cincinnati, bringing the total in Hamilton County to seven.

Warren County also had its first confirmed case of COVID-19 reported on Thursday, and now has two.

Butler County has 12 confirmed cases.

COVID-19 spreads primarily through respiratory droplets from coughing and sneezing, Nesbit said. Symptoms include fever, cough, and shortness of breath.

To prevent community spread, Nesbit recommends people to:

– Stay at home, if you’re sick.

– Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

– Cover your cough or sneeze.

– Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds, frequently.

– Practice social distancing by trying to maintain six feet of separation from others when in public places.

If someone is sick or exhibiting symptoms, they are encouraged to call a doctor first before coming into an urgent care or hospital.

“They can rule out other illnesses and determine if a patient needs to be tested for COVID-19 or not,” Nesbit said.

Nesbit said these changes disrupt daily life, but are for the greater good of the community.

Clermont County now brings the confirmed cases in Ohio to 169 across 29 counties, according to the Ohio Department of Health. So far, there has been one death in Lucas County.

Out of those cases, 39 have required hospitalizations.

Resources to stay informed

ODH website.

CDC website.

To receive email updates from the CDC, go here.

Johns Hopkins database.