Coronavirus Spreads Across The Midwest: A News Roundup

Side Effects Public Media | By Christine Herman,

Christine Herman, Carter Barrett

Published March 9, 2020 at 3:18 PM EDT

Coronavirus is spreading across the Midwest, and health officials are scrambling to stem the disease -- or prepare for a potential epidemic. Side Effects will keep you updated on this evolving story and share reports from partner stations across the Midwest -- including news of a school closing in Indiana and the first case in Missouri.

Here's the latest from the region:Indiana:

There are four reported cases of COVID-19 in Indiana.
A student has tested positive for the virus, prompting an elementary school to close for two weeks.
Two Hoosiers infected with coronavirus attended a BioGen conference in Boston, Mass.

Ohio:

Ohio now has the ability to conduct tests for COVID-19, butdue to limited resources the state has created a protocol to determine who to prioritize for testing.
Ohio does not have a confirmed case yet, but local hospitals are preparing for the virus.

Missouri:

A St. Louis County woman who was studying in Italy is now presumed to be the state’s first confirmed case of COVID-19.
This woman’s family violated quarantine by attending a school dance.

Iowa:

Iowa has seen three presumptive cases of COVID-19.
Iowans who have recently traveled to certain countries where the novel coronavirus is spreading are being asked to self-isolate for two weeks.

Illinois

There have been seven reported cases of COVID-19 in Illinois, including the first person-to-person transmission of the disease.

Check back to Side Effects for frequent round-ups of coronavirus news from the Midwest.

We also want to help you sort fact from fiction when it comes to coronavirus. Email health@wfyi.org or text “health” to 73224 with your questions, and we will search for the answers.

This is a rapidly evolving story, and we are working hard to bring you the most up-to-date information. However, we recommend checking the websites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the most recent numbers of COVID-19 cases.