Redmond: Patient tests positive for COVID-19
Dobbins will house more than 30 quarantined cruise ship passengers
A spokesperson for Redmond Regional Medical Center said they’re following infection prevention protocols for COVID-19 patients after a patient tested positive for the illness Sunday night.
“Last night Redmond Regional Medical Center was notified that we have a patient who tested positive for COVID-19,” Redmond spokesperson Andrea Pitts said Monday morning. “We have been working diligently to ensure we are prepared for potential issues related to COVID-19.”
Two other patients were in quarantine at the hospital awaiting coronavirus testing, Pitts said Sunday.
The state also announced that Hard Labor Creek State Park in Morgan County will be a location for the isolation and monitoring of patients who may have been exposed to COVID-19.
“No patients are currently scheduled to be transferred to this location,” a press release from Gov. Brian Kemp stated.
The location is currently being prepared for the placement of patients and officials have delivered and installed seven emergency trailers at the park at this point. Other materials are on the way for future use.
“Once established, the Department of Public Safety will provide security for this location,” the
release stated. “Officials are utilizing an isolated section of Hard Labor Creek State Park where emergency trailers and operations will be separated from the rest of the property.”
Access to the specific portion of the park will be restricted and limited to official use.
In related news, Cobb County will house more than 30 quarantined passengers from the Grand Princess cruise ship that has been held off the California coast, with 21 people on board testing positive for coronavirus.
Gov. Brian Kemp announced Sunday, that 34 Georgians and “additional American citizens from the eastern United States” will be securely transferred from the cruise ship to Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta late Monday, March 9, or early Tuesday, March 10.
“These passengers will undergo testing and be quarantined for possible exposure to COVID-19,” Kemp said in a press release.
Dobbins is one of several quarantine sites throughout the country for people off the cruise ship, having been identified weeks ago by authorities as a contingency plan location in respect of dealing with coronavirus.
“This is perfectly normal and an expected part of the role that Dobbins plays in our nation’s response to international disasters, whether they are natural — Hurricanes Katrina, Irma and Maria — or medical, like when we received Americans infected with Ebola at Dobbins in 2014,” said State Rep. Teri Anulewicz, D-Smyrna.
As of Sunday night, there were six presumptive positives and five confirmed cases of coronavirus in Georgia — three in Fulton County, one in Cobb County and one Polk County resident who is medically isolated at Floyd Medical Center, or FMC.
FMC spokesman Dan Bevels said Sunday the 46-year-old woman is in stable condition, and 20 hospital employees are in self-quarantine.
Three patients at Redmond Regional Medical Center were being tested for COVID-19 as of Saturday evening, the hospital’s spokesperson Andrea Pitts said.
“To date, Redmond has not had any confirmed cases of COVID-19. At this time, there are three patients with pending test results,” Pitts said in a statement. “Redmond Regional Medical Center is taking proactive steps to protect patients, staff and the regular community...”
The state health department also said there were two other cases — one in Gwinnett County and one in Fulton — where a presumptive test had returned positive. In those cases, testing to confirm whether it is coronavirus is being done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Late Sunday they added another four new presumptive cases.
One person is from Fulton County, another is from Cherokee County, and the other two are from Cobb County, but they have no connection to each other. All of the individuals are hospitalized, and the sources of their infections are not known, the release stated.
Cobb County Board of Commissioners Chairman Mike Boyce met with public health, safety and county administrators early Sunday after receiving word of the Dobbins quarantine situation.
Boyce said the people coming to Cobb are not those from the ship who are known to have coronavirus, and they will be quarantined and tested as a precaution — but he acknowledged public concern among residents.
“We are very concerned, as you are, because we live here with you and we know that this is going to be a heightened level of anxiety, perhaps some fear, on your part,” Boyce said in a videotaped public message. “We want to make sure, because you are neighbors, we want to provide every possible measure to ensure we are working very closely with the federal and state governments to take every precaution to address this quarantine situation.”
Kemp said he is confident Dobbins is equipped to provide “highquality care for Americans in need” while keeping surrounding families safe.
Built in 1943, the base is home to the 94th Airlift Wing, 22nd Air Force headquarters, Navy Operational Support Center and Georgia Army National Guard. It supports more than 2,000 Air Force reservists and civilians, and nearly 4,000 members of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps, its website states.
“Our state stands ready to assist our federal partners if requested,” Kemp said. “In the days and weeks ahead, I encourage Georgians to pray for the patients affected by COVID-19 and their healthcare providers. We must continue to support one another, trust the advice of the medical community, and remain vigilant.”
Kemp said his office remains in constant communication with President Donald Trump’s administration, as well as lawmakers and state and local officials,
“to ensure the health and safety of families across Georgia and our country.”
“We will continue to provide updates as soon as they become available,” Kemp said.
Boyce said he also spoke with the White House and Kemp’s office Saturday night, when federal briefings on the situation were held, and he believes any risk to the public remains low.
Dr. Janet Memark, District Health Director of Cobb and Douglas Public Health, also appeared on Boyce’s videotaped public message Sunday morning, urging residents not to panic.
“I want to remind everybody about how low risk this continues to be,” she said. “The operation at Dobbins is a self-contained operation. The risk to the public for coronavirus continues to be very low.”
Memark said 80% of people who get coronavirus have “very mild” symptoms.
“You don’t have to be too overly concerned,” she said. “But make sure you do what you can to prevent getting any sort of illness.”
♦ If you feel like you might have coronavirus or might have been exposed to it, or if you have further questions, call your doctor or the Georgia health department on 1-866-PUB-HLTH (782-4584).