Memorial Hospital patient in Belleville does not have coronavirus
The Memorial Hospital in Belleville patient who was screened for coronavirus did not have the respiratory disease.
“Following guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, BJC HealthCare hospitals have processes in place to screen patients for risk of coronavirus, or COVID-19. Through that screening process as well as testing through the respective local and state Health Departments, the St. Clair County Health Department confirms there are no new cases of COVID-19 in Illinois,” BJC Healthcare said in a statement released Friday night.
BJC Healthcare, which owns Memorial Hospital in Belleville, had said on Thursday that a patient at Memorial Hospital in Belleville was being tested for coronavirus.
BJC Healthcare said it could not comment on the specifics of this patient’s condition.
“BJC HealthCare is prepared to initiate isolation and infection prevention protocols when necessary, including precautionary protection for our team members,” BJC said in a statement. “St. Clair County Health Department officials are investigating all possible exposures to COVID-19 in accordance with the Illinois Department of Public Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. The risk to the public remains low. Information is evolving on a daily basis, and you can find updates on http://www.health.co.st-clair.il.us/Pages/default.aspx.”
The Associated Press reported Saturday morning that over 2,900 people worldwide have died from the coronavirus called COVID-19, which was first identified in China this winter. In the United States alone, the CDC estimates that flu deaths total 16,000 to 41,000 people this season in the U.S.
Dr. Clay Dunagan, the chief clinical officer for St. Louis-based BJC Healthcare and a professor in the infectious disease division at Washington University, said in an interview with the BND Friday he could address the coronavirus issue in general but couldn’t comment on a specific patient.
“We’re certainly taking this very seriously,” Dunagan said of coronavirus, but he hastened to warn the general public about the dangers of the flu. He said flu is a much bigger risk right now.
“I think the first and most important thing is to know that people are much more likely to encounter individuals with the flu and that remains the highest priority.”
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Friday the risk of contracting coronavirus in Illinois is low, and that health officials around the state are taking all precautions regardless.
“While the risk to the general public remains low, we want you to know that our state and local agencies and officials are using every tool at our disposal to ensure the public health and safety are well-guarded,” Pritzker said at the Chicago news conference.
Dunagan said BJC has established an incident command center for dealing with the coronavirus, “Which is really our way of making sure that we’ve organized the resources that would be required for any eventuality.”
“The main thing we’re doing right now because of the nature of this infection is, we’re just anticipating the need for personal protection equipment for health care workers that might be encountering patients who might be infected with coronavirus,” he said.
“Our biggest challenge right now is testing is pretty restrictive. So we see patients who might have a coronavirus infection, we have to collect a specimen and send it off to state labs or the CDC. So there’s still a bit a bottleneck there in terms of getting a quick turnaround on testing.”
Health tips
Dunagan said the ways to stop the spread of the coronavirus in the public are similar to the advice doctors give you to prevent the spread of the flu.
▪ Keep your hands washed.
▪ Don’t touch your face
▪ Try to stay away from people who are ill
▪ If you get sick with a cold or respiratory infection, stay home, don’t go out in public
▪ If you cough or sneeze, since that’s the dominant way to transmit the virus, use a tissue to keep particles from getting into the air.
This story was originally published February 28, 2020 at 7:07 PM.
