From Geauga County: Public health officials announced county’s 1st positive case

Geauga Public Health announced Geauga County’s first positive case of the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19 in a news release just before 11 p.m. March 15.

No other information, such as age, was included in the release.

Geauga Public Health is “strongly urging all residents to adhere to the governor’s orders

and to expand upon them voluntarily where necessary.

The department stated that cases in Ohio are rising sharply and three things can be assumed “with great confidence:

“First, models suggest there are more people in Geauga County who are already infected and contagious but who are experiencing such mild symptoms that they have not sought medical care and have not been tested.

Planning is currently underway to increase access to testing.

“Second, the number of confirmed cases will increase moving forward. We are on the front end of this public health threat and should expect our routines to change significantly in the months to come.

“Third, because there is no vaccine, the only strategies we have at hand to address the pandemic depend on everyone changing their normal behaviors such as practicing social distancing. These strategies are most effective when they are applied preemptively.”

Geauga County Health Commissioner Tom Quade said that he supports the measures Gov. Mike DeWine has made over the past few days, including the closure of K-12 schools for at least three weeks, banning gatherings of more than 100 people, and the closure of all bars and dine-in options for restaurants.

“These strategies will save lives,” Quade said in a statement. “How many lives will be saved will depend on the degree to which all Ohioans adhere not only to these orders but also the degree to which they are able to generalize the strategies voluntarily to other settings.”

Quade added the he acknowledges the challenges and sacrifices this “new normal” entails, but said “we are all working together to save lives.”