Contacts:
Cuyahoga County Joint Information Center: JIC@cuyahogacounty.us; (216) 443-5245


CUYAHOGA COUNTY, OH – Today the Cuyahoga County Board of Health held their first morning briefing regarding COVID-19 at their offices at 5550 Venture Drive, Parma, Ohio 44130 at 8:45 a.m. The briefings will continue until the COVID-19 situation no longer merits daily messaging.

Below are points discussed by Cuyahoga County Board of Health Commissioner Terry Allan:

Cases:

• The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases remains at 3 in Cuyahoga County. The onset dates of illness range from February 29-March 7. None to date have required hospitalization. Contacts of the cases are being identified, and a total number of contacts is expected soon.
• No information on the names or locations of the three residents who tested positive will be released to protect their health information.

Testing and Reporting:

• Those who are very ill and meet Centers for Disease Control (CDC) criteria for a person under investigation will have their samples tested by the Ohio Department of Health. Two national labs are working with area hospital systems to order tests for those at less of a risk of contracting the virus.
• The Board of Health expects to see an increase in local testing capability in the next week or two.
• Reported cases come through a disease-reporting system connected to the Ohio Department of Health. Any new cases would be reported through this system.

School Closures:

• The Board of Health held a call with over 100 area school superintendents to provide the most current information. The closure of schools will be done on a case-by-case basis in close coordination with the school administration and the Cuyahoga County Board of Health.
• Many universities in Northeast Ohio have made the decision to hold classes remotely—a full list of university closures and restrictions can be found here.

General Health Precautions:

• The CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a face mask to protect themselves from COVID-19. A face mask should be used by people who have COVID-19 and are showing symptoms. Buying face masks reduces the supply for those who might need them.

The Board of Health is following the lead of the Ohio Department of Health and the CDC.

For information from the Board of Health, visit https://www.ccbh.net/.

For information from the CDC, visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html.

For information from the Ohio Department of Health, visit https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/covid-19/ or call 1-833-4-ASKODH (1-833-427-5634).

For information from the Cuyahoga County Executive see, Executive Order: EO2020-0002.