St. Marys man in 'serious condition' after testing positive for COVID-19

A 64-year-old St. Marys man is in hospitalin serious condition with the firstcase of COVID-19 in the Huron-Perth region, according to the local health officials.

The man recently traveled to Mexico, and came home on March 2, said a statement from Huron Perth Public Health. He started to feel sick with an unrelated illness on March 7, and began self-isolating at home, it said.

Health officials said the man went to the emergency department of St. Marys Memorial Hospital the evening of March 12. When his condition changed and he began showing symptoms of COVID-19, officials say they immediately began testing and precautions.

He has since been transferred to Stratford General Hospital.

Dr. Miriam Klassen, the region's medical officer of health, said public health is working with system partners to figure out who may have been exposed to the virus.

"We are in the process of conducting case and contact management for this patient and we will continue to update the community as more details are available," she said.

Having a confirmed case in the area, she added, is not unexpected.

"It's important to remember that as a community and as a health system, we have been preparing for COVID-19. Our focus is on breaking the chain of transmission to limit the spread of infection. The risk to Huron-Perth residents remains low."