Three people in Ohio have contracted COVID-19, state officials revealed Monday. Members of the public know where they live and how they came in contact with the coronavirus that causes the disease, in addition to other relevant facts.

Will West Virginians be informed in a similar fashion, should COVID-19 strike the Mountain State?

Let’s hope so. Depriving residents of information critical in safeguarding their own health and that of those around them would be inexcusable.

In Ohio, the three people who have tested positive for the virus live in Cuyahoga County. All are in their mid-50s. One is a man who attended the America Israel Public Affairs Committee conference in Washington. The others are a man and wife who were on a cruise along the Nile River, in Egypt. All three have been quarantined.

Another five Buckeye State residents were being tested. More than 250 others deemed at risk because of where they traveled were being monitored.

Excellent. Now Ohioans in and around Cuyahoga County know it may be prudent for them to take special steps to safeguard themselves and others against the virus. People in other areas of the state understand they are at less risk.

In West Virginia, officials have revealed only that two people have been tested and cleared, while three others are awaiting test results.

As we have noted previously, some public health officials seem to have succumbed to an epidemic of political correctness. Important information — specifically in West Virginia, details on where HIV/AIDS patients live — are withheld. The claim is that such secrecy is necessary to protect individuals’ privacy.

Poppycock. No one asks for names or addresses, only for facts on whether where they live may affect exposure to diseases.

If and when COVID-19 arrives in West Virginia, officials should release details about patients immediately. Facts such as those revealed in Ohio and Pennsylvania ought to be included.

COVID-19 is no respecter of political correctness. Ohio officials are right to provide the public with all the information they need to defend themselves.