By Janet Williams
TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS—Gov. Eric Holcomb has declared a health emergency after a man who had just returned from a conference in Boston tested positive for the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, early Friday morning.

“I have just signed and declared a public health emergency to ensure that the state of Indiana is in the absolute best position to get the federal funding necessary to respond step by step,” Holcomb said at a hastily called news conference hours after the first case was confirmed.

The unidentified Marion County man is the first in the state to have a presumptive positive test for COVID-19 after undergoing tests in the early morning hours Friday, said Dr. Kristina Box, commissioner of the state Department of Health. The results still need to be confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control.

“This individual is currently in isolation and there is no ongoing risk to the public,” Box said. “With the global spread of COVID-19, the question has never been if Indiana would get a case but when we would see one.”

Box said health professionals across Indiana have been preparing the virus and stressed that the case is an isolated one.

The man’s employer had let him know that he might have been exposed to the virus after his March 4 return from the Boston conference and he had been monitoring his symptoms, which included a sore throat, cough and mild fever, Box said.

Box and Holcomb were joined at the press conference by Dr. Ram Yeleti, the chief physician at Community Hospital North where the man was tested, and Dr. Virginia Caine, director of the Marion County Health Department.

Box said the hospital was contacted about a potential COVID-19 case and medical staff, wearing protective gear, met the man in the parking lot and took him to an isolation room to be examined and avoid contact with other patients.

Yeleti said that no other patients at Community North were exposed to the virus because of the precautions taken by health professionals.

The news that Indiana has its first coronavirus case comes as illness continues to spread across the globe. On Friday, the number of cases worldwide surpassed 100,000 and in the United States, 14 people have died of the disease. Most had underlying health conditions.

Congress this week approved $8.3 billion to combat the virus and some of that money will be made available to states where it has appeared. By declaring a public health emergency, Holcomb will ensure that the state can seek some of those dollars to control or stop the spread of the virus.

Both Box and Caine said that the Marion County man has a mild case and is not hospitalized. He will remain in isolation for 14 days and not released until specimens taken two consecutive days at the end of that period test negative for the virus.

County health officials are also investigating those who had contact with the man and checking details about the flight he took from Boston to Indianapolis, Caine said. They will also continue to monitor his health.

Health officials have said the virus is most commonly spread through coughing and sneezing, close personal contact such as shaking hands, touching an object with the virus and the touching one’s mouth, nose or eyes, and fecal contamination, though that is rare.

To protect oneself from any respiratory illness:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use a 60% or higher alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

For more information, visit https://on.in.gov/COVID19.

Janet Williams is executive editor of TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.