Locally, outbreak preparation is key
The Floyd County coronavirus case is confirmed, additional cases in Cobb and Fulton counties
Gov. Brian Kemp and the CDC have confirmed the case of coronavirus at Floyd Medical Center as well as announced two additional confirmed cases — one in Fulton County and another in Cobb County.
However, for our local case the preparations have already been made.
“This doesn’t change anything — our response and preventative measures are already in place,” said Floyd Medical Center spokesperson Dan Bevels. “The patient is isolated from others and receiving medical attention at Floyd Medical Center.”
As of Saturday evening three patients at Redmond Regional Medical Center are being tested for COVID-19, 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...”
Gov. Kemp also announced Sunday morning that 34 Americans currently on the Grand Princess cruise ship will be transferred to Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta.
“The passengers will undergo testing and be quarantined for possible exposure to COVID-19,” Kemp said in a statement. “They are expected to arrive at Dobbins late Monday, March 9 or Tuesday, March 10.”
After a the announcement Saturday of the additional Cobb and Fulton confirmed cases, the DPH commissioner said they’re working to “mitigate the spread of this virus in our state, and we are aggressively working to identify anyone who may have had contact with these individuals,” said DPH Commissioner Kathleen E. Toomey.
“Despite these new cases, the overall risk of COVID-19 to the general public remains low; but each new case of COVID-19 in Georgia reinforces the fact we should all be practicing basic prevention measures that are extremely effective in limiting the spread of COVID-19 and all respiratory illnesses.”
Preparations in case of a coronavirus outbreak, or even a nasty season of the flu, began weeks ago at local hospitals.
On Thursday evening the Georgia Department of Public Health informed Floyd Medical Center that one of their patients — a 46-year-old woman who’d recently flown from Washington, D.C. — tested positive
for a preliminary test for COVID-19. The woman, according to a Department of Public Health release Saturday evening, is a resident of Polk County, and not Floyd as previously reported.
The woman is an employee of Meggitt Polymers and Composites, 669 Goodyear Ave. in Rockmart. Meggitt, according to its website, works mainly in the areas of aerospace, defense and energy. Fellow employees were notified of the situation Friday. The Rome News-Tribune is not reporting the identity of the woman at this time.
There is another person, a relative of the woman, who is in quarantine, according to District Health Director Dr. Gary Voccio.
Floyd Medical Center then released the information that a preliminary test had shown positive for coronavirus. They also asked approximately 20 employees who had treated the patient and possibly been exposed to self-quarantine.
Others with minimal exposure — the guideline for exposure risk is 10 minutes of time spent within six feet of an infected person — have been asked to self-monitor for symptoms, FMC authorities said.
But prior to that news teams at both Floyd and Redmond Regional Medical Center had been working on infectious disease response plans as well as implementing protocol to keep the flu from spreading within their hospitals.
As a routine Floyd Medical Center conducts daily safety meetings where hospital personnel discuss their coronavirus response plan, Bevels said.
Some of those measures are part of
just being aware of the condition of visitors as well as new patients.
Floyd Medical Center is a regional coordinating hospital, meaning in the event of an event where a large amount of people need care they go to Floyd.
“We train and drill for these kind of things,” said Kurt Stuenkel the CEO of Floyd Medical Center. “We knew we needed to be ready — we didn’t know we would be one of the first.”
They’ve trained previously for the possibility of an Ebola virus outbreak and Floyd, as well as Redmond Regional Medical Center, both have 21 rooms designed for medical isolation.
These rooms don’t circulate air within the rest of the hospital system and are designed to keep viral infections out of the rest of the hospital.
John Quinlivan, chief executive officer at Redmond, stated in a community briefing Friday they’re flowing protocols formed in response to evidence-based CDC guidelines to help prevent further spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses.
On top of those Redmond has put screening protocols in place for patients with signs of the illness before being allowed in the hospital, Pitts said, including questions concerning recent travel, fever or any respiratory symptoms.
Visitor screening and restriction is also in place at Floyd, Stuenkel said, but that’s policy during the flu season through March.
Some of the hospital procedures also include paying attention to the use of personal protection equipment supplies, which have faced a shortage since a majority of the manufactures are in China.
Facilities in that country still face shutdowns because of the spread of COVID-19.
One thing to remember — if you have flu like symptoms, Georgia Department of Public Health Director Dr. Gary Voccio advises you call your healthcare provider before going to a clinic.
“If you develop a fever and symptoms of respiratory illness, such as a cough or difficulty breathing, stay home and contact your healthcare provider,” Voccio said. “Tell your provider about any recent travel or if you have had contact with someone who is suspected to have COVID-19. Your healthcare provider will advise you on what to do next and will coordinate with your local public health agency and the CDC to determine if you need to be tested for COVID-19. Be sure to call before going to a doctor’s office, emergency room, or urgent care center for advice on how to proceed and tell them about your recent travel and your symptoms.”
Another thing to remember, Stuenkel said, is the situation is fluid and ever evolving. There aren’t enough test kids for the coronavirus available, he said, and the Ga. Department of Public Health has been doing the best job possible with the tools they’ve been given.
The first thing to do was to notify every employee who might have been exposed and then to put their plans of action into place.
“The minute we had the information from the Department of Public Health, we sprung into action,” Stuenkel said.
Since Friday morning, they’ve been conducting town hall style meetings with employees at the Rome location as well as Polk Medical Center and Cherokee Medical Center in Alabama.
No cases of suspected COVID-19 have shown up in either of those hospitals, Stuenkel said.
The real key to preparedness has been cooperation among agencies, especially with the Georgia Department of Public Health.