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STEUBENVILLE -- A 73-year-old man who died at his home Monday is Jefferson County's first known coronavirus-related fatality.
Jefferson County General Health District Commissioner Nicole Balakos said the man, whose identity will not be released, had tested through the emergency department at a local hospital April 10 and was confirmed positive for COVID-19 the following day. The man had no underlying health conditions.
Balakos said the health department had performed two in-person wellness checks on the man, who had self-quarantined in his home.
"On behalf of the department, we express our sympathies to his family and loved ones as well as those first responders who cared for him," Balakos said in announcing the death. "We continue to be concerned for the public health of our community during this difficult time and express great concern for the community at large."
Balakos said the man had no known prior contact to a coronavirus-positive patient, and described it as an example of community spread.
In Monday's coronavirus caseload update, the health department had reported 31 confirmed cases of COVID-19 -- eight of them age 65 or older, and 14 of them men.
Going forward, however, the county's daily report will include probable COVID-19 cases and deaths reported to the health department. The change is in line with an interim COVID-19 position statement, released recently by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists.
The health department does not release personal or identifiable information about patients, Balakos said. Information about aggregate patient county data -- in other words, patient demographics -- is included in the department's daily county reports.