Governor Eric J. Holcomb and the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) announced today the first presumptive positive case of COVID-19 in a Marion County resident with a recent history of travel to Boston. To ensure continued coordination, Gov. Holcomb is issuing a public health emergency declaration.
A presumptive positive case means the patient has tested positive at the ISDH Laboratories. Samples will be sent to the CDC for final confirmation.
State Health Commissioner Kris Box, M.D., FACOG, said the adult patient has been in self-quarantine since arriving back in Indianapolis and that the risk to the general public is low.
Dr. Box stated that the individual called the Department of Health on Thursday to report that he had symptoms of the virus and was directed to go to the emergency room at Community North where a team of health care providers met him in the parking lot at took him to isolation, away from the rest of the facility. The individual has mild symptoms and is currently under the self-quarantine outside of a hospital according to Dr. Box. 80 to 85% of all cases are mild cases according to Dr. Box. The majority of the death in the US is due to the spread in a high-risk long term care facility according to Dr. Box. Prevention is still the key currently.
Ripley County Medical Director Dr. David Welsh stated that Ripley County is ready to handle any issues and reminds everyone to “practice what your mom taught you such as washing your hands, covering your cough, and stay home if you are sick”. Dr. Welsh also recommends that if you think you are showing signs of illness, please call ahead to your health care provider so that they are prepared to take care of you as best as possible. Dr. Welsh also recommend to stay up-to-date on the latest information, check out the Ripley County Department of Health website that has great information including links to the Indiana State Department of Health and The Centers for Disease Control websites.
