Meigs County Health Department Reports Probable Case of COVID-19
Meigs County Health Department Reports Probable Case of COVID-19
POMEROY, Ohio – The Meigs County Health Department is reporting a probable case of COVID-19 in our county in accordance with new reporting practices, which now include probable cases in addition to confirmed cases. Until now, local health departments have followed guidance from the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), which announced positive COVID-19 cases once they were confirmed by laboratory testing results.
The new guidance from ODH states local health departments will now begin reporting probable cases of COVID-19, in addition to confirmed cases, in accordance with a recommendation from Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists.
A confirmed case is defined as an individual with a positive laboratory result for COVID-19. A probable case is defined as an individual who has not been tested for COVID-19, but is likely to have the illness based on close contact with a confirmed or probable case, symptoms, and/or exposure to an area with ongoing community spread. A probable case must also have no alternative diagnosis, such as influenza or strep throat.
For confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19, health care providers or any individual having knowledge should notify their local health department within 24 hours.
“The probable case in Meigs County is a male in the 40 to 49 year-old age range who has had direct contact with confirmed COVID-19 case and is currently on home quarantine. At this time, we please ask residents to refrain from calling the Health Department for questions regarding this case while we complete our disease investigation and notify relevant individuals. Individuals identified as contacts of the case will be advised to self-quarantine for 14 days. We urge residents to continue to practice good social distancing and follow the state issued stay at home order,” according to a statement from the health department.
