Coronavirus: Miami County resident’s case in January ‘technically’ was first reported in Ohio

TROY — UPDATE @ 3:45 p.m. (May 12): The state’s first case of coronavirus did occur in Miami County in January, Miami County Pubic Health officials said Tuesday, but details about the case need explanation.

“There must be an understanding of confirmed vs. probable cases,” MCPH officials said in a prepared statement released Tuesday afternoon.

MCPH said the data about the Miami County woman from Jan. 7 is "technically accurate."

Confirmed cases are typically identified by a nasal swab that shows active virus in a patient. This type of test shows an active infection at the time the patient had that test. In contrast, MCPH officials said, the newer antibody tests are a blood test that show the presence of antibodies for COVID 19.

“These tests usually indicative of a past infection, not an active infection,” MCPH officials said.

When MCPH receives a positive antibody test, the patient is contacted and interviewed.

"Many times this interview will reveal a patient had symptoms in the past that are similar to symptoms of COVID 19. We note the onset date of all symptoms as part of the case investigation and part of our data collection and tracking. This should not be taken as a confirmation that individuals had an active COVID 19 infection at a specific time in the past. "

Please note that with COVID 19, many individuals may be asymptomatic when they have active infection.

“Determining when an individual had an active COVID 19 infection based off an antibody test can be difficult and information related to this should be understood in that context,” MCPH officials said.

INITIAL REPORT (May 11)

News Center 7 is looking into whether the first coronavirus case in the state occurred in Miami County.

Six of the nine earliest cases reported were in the region, according to the Ohio Department of Health’s COVID-19 website.

According to its database, a Miami County woman was reported to have had the onset of the virus Jan. 7. She was reported to be 70 to 79 years old and never went to a hospital. She survived the illness.

According to the database, the second person in the state was a woman from Montgomery County. She, too, was 70 too 79 years old. The beginning of her disease was Jan. 13.

"At this time MCPH [Miami County Public Health] cannot confirm information around this case," spokeswoman Vicky Knisley-Henry said Monday night. "It is a probable case still being investigated."

Monday afternoon, Dr. Amy Acton, the state's health director, was asked about the database and the state's earliest reported COVID-19 cases.

“I do think it’s very interesting that we’re starting to see the results of antibody testing,” she said. “I think we’ll see a lot more of this. I also think there are a lot of deaths and coroner reports yet to be seen, so as time goes on, we’ll learn more and more about history with this virus.”

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