Marion Public Health has confirmed that a community member who was hospitalized and tested positive for COVID-19 has died. The health department said the man acquired COVID-19 through an unknown source.
“On behalf of the entire Marion County community, we express our deepest sympathies to his family and friends,” Marion Public Health’s Commissioner Traci Kinsler said in the news release. “Our thoughts go out to the Marion County community, as well as all Ohioans, and those across the world battling this illness and the families of everyone affected by this pandemic.”
The case was originally reported by the Ohio Department of Health and the local health department when it was first identified.
Any additional information about the patient will not be released to respect his family’s privacy.
“For each case, the health department immediately starts a process to identify close contacts to the case. This process is called contact tracing and looks at the chance of exposure and other factors to the case. This is hundreds of contacts that nursing staff from each Health Department is following,” said Shannon Smith, Director of Nursing Services for Marion Public Health. Based on risk determined by public health, close contacts of the case are placed under public health supervision, referred to as quarantine, for a period of time. This is to limit movement. “The close contact will be told to stay at home until released by public health,” stated Smith.
This is a rapidly evolving situation. Information is being shared as it becomes available on the following websites: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus, www.coronavirus.ohio.gov, www.marionpublichealth.org and please follow us on Facebook.
People with questions about COVID-19 can call the Ohio Department of Health COVID-19 Call Center, 7 days a week from 9AM – 8PM at: 1-833-4-ASK-ODH (1-833-427-5634).
