The Governor of Ohio Mike DeWine, who tested negative for COVID-19 yesterday, has taken to Facebook to inform his constituents about how easily the Coronavirus can spread. He shared a graphic that detailed the case of one man who caused 91 others to contract Coronavirus with just one visit to a church in Ohio County.
This man, a 56-year old whose name hasn't been revealed, went to the church service on June 14. 53 people who were present at the same service caught the coronavirus infection in the following days. 18 of these people then passed the virus to others. The wife, son, and daughter of the primary source also came down with COVID-19.
Eventually, the total of all those who have been infected with the dreaded infection through this man reached 91 and these people are spread across 5 counties of the state. This is the starkest example of how the carelessness of people in a mass gathering can lead to the wildfire-like spread of COVID-19.
Governor's message
"All it takes is one person to cause tremendous #COVID19 spread," the Governor wrote on his Facebook timeline. "This case study stems from an Ohio church, but it can happen anywhere. I continue to encourage everyone to wear masks and social distance whenever you gather - including at worship services."
The Governor also said that the exemption given to religious meetings from the regulations in place for the prevention of Coronavirus transmission will continue but there needs to be more precaution taken by the attendees.
"We have been very careful throughout this pandemic to exempt religious services from any regulations. The only exception to that is that we are now asking people who attend church to wear a mask," Governor DeWine stated in a news conference.
This case is a small-scale version of a similar case in South Korea where one lady, named 'Patient 31,' ended up infecting, possibly, more than a 1,000 people. The Governor shared details of other such instances where one person led to many others falling sick.
It was on Thursday that Governor DeWine went through the COVID-19 test himself which was part of the protocol since he was slated to meet President Donald Trump. His result came out positive. However, he was showing no symptoms at that time. He returned with his wife to Columbus where a second test was conducted and people in his staff were also tested.
The result of the second test was negative for the Governor and his wife, as well as the staff, were also clean. As of now, 98,675 cases of COVID-19 have come to light in Ohio and the death toll is 3,652.
