INDIANAPOLIS — An employee of Eli Lilly and Co. in Indianapolis has tested positive for COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, a company spokesman confirmed to RTV6 early Wednesday.
Eli Lilly corporate communications director Scott MacGregor confirmed an employee had a confirmed case of the virus but could not elaborate further on the circumstances, citing employee privacy.
"We continue to monitor the situation," MacGregor said. "We're evaluating this on a day-by-day basis."
It is not clear whether the Lilly employee is included in the six cases confirmed by the Indiana State Department of Health on Tuesday.
The company on Sunday announced that it is asking some of its employees to work from home in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus on its campus. Early Wednesday, MacGregor said the employee's diagnosis did not factor into the decision over the weekend to ask employees to work from home.
"That was a precaution for sure," MacGregor said.
MacGregor previously said the pharmaceutical company is focusing on two priorities, " protecting the health and safety of our employees, and protecting our ability to make and supply safe medicines for patients who rely on them."
Lilly employs 11,000 people in Indianapolis, however, MacGregor said the company does not have a specific number of employees that will be impacted.
