COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) has announced on Wednesday that it is monitoring a 'Person Under Investigation' (PUI) for the 2019 Novel Coronavirus.
According to the ODH, samples from the person under investigation were taken and sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for testing. Results are expected in the coming days.
A local health department, working in collaboration with ODH, is monitoring the individual and their contacts.
ODH officials emphasize that no personal information will be released about the person under investigation. They stress that Ohio remains at low risk and there are no confirmed cases.
“This is part of public health’s ever-present work to balance public interest with the privacy rights of our individual citizens,” said Amy Acton, MD, MPH, director of ODH. “We are committed to ensuring they receive proper, compassionate care and to preventing any possible spread of infectious disease.”
The Ohio Department of Health also says it will also have a new process for sharing coronavirus updates. It will begin posting numbers of any Ohio confirmed cases and persons under investigation on its website by 2 p.m. These numbers will be updated twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If there are confirmed cases, ODH says it will update the local health department and the general public to provide guidance.
On Sunday, ODH officials concluded two students at Miami University in Oxford tested negative for coronavirus. The two had recently traveled and returned from China.
RELATED: Ohio Department of Health says 2 students tested at Miami University do not have coronavirus
Last week, officials from ODH and the city of Cleveland confirmed that the patient with Chicago's second confirmed case of coronavirus recently traveled to Cleveland. The man is a Chicago resident in his 60s and was confirmed as having coronavirus on Jan. 28, according to the CDC. The city says the man traveled to Cleveland on January 14 for a day trip and was not infectious while in town.
RELATED: Chicago's 2nd coronavirus patient recently visited Cleveland, Ohio Department of Health confirms