( Columbus, Ohio ) - In a Monday afternoon news conference, Governor Mike DeWine announced what health experts have been warning about for weeks: the first cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Ohio.
Three people have tested positive for the respiratory illness also known as COVID-19. All three are from Cuyahoga County.
"All three individuals are in the 50s. One couple was on a cruise on the Nile, one of them has been hospitalized, one not. The third person, unrelated to the first two, went to the AIPAC conference in Washington DC," Governor DeWine said. He says he's signed a State of Emergency as a way for agencies to coordinate easier and make purchases of items like medical supplies without as much government red tape.
Dr Amy Acton with the Ohio Department of Health says life is going to get slightly more uncomfortable for awhile. She says seniors and those with underlying health conditions like heart disease are most vulnerable.
Both stressed that the State of Ohio has been prepared for this. There's a website with updated information: coronavirus.ohio.gov and there's a hotline staffed from 9am to 8pm seven days a week: 833-4-ASK-ODH.