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News about the spread of COVID-19, more widely known as the coronavirus, has become increasingly hard to ignore in the past couple of weeks.
Last week, Magee General Hospital leadership met to discuss how to prepare for possible cases of the virus after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) alerted hospitals nationwide that the virus would most likely continue to spread.
“All Magee General Hospital employees have been educated on the coronavirus and continue to receive ongoing education to stay current,” said Cindy McIntyre, RN and director of emergency services. “Educational materials are also placed in our lobbies to keep the public informed.”
The coronavirus is a new respiratory virus that causes flu-like illness. While little is known about the virus, it is thought to be spread person-to-person by close contact and by coughing or sneezing. Other possible routes of transmission, such as touching surfaces contaminated by the virus, are also being studied.
“Our patients are evaluated for the risk of coronavirus by questions added to the list of information needed at registration,” said McIntyre. “A detailed travel history, exposure history, and signs and symptoms of their presenting illness, particularly fever and acute respiratory symptoms, are discussed. Patients with suspected or confirmed coronavirus will be isolated immediately and transferred to another facility.”
Like the flu, the coronavirus can cause illness that ranges from mild to severe, with symptoms of fever, coughing, fatigue and difficulty breathing. At this time, there is no vaccine to protect against the coronavirus and no medications approved to treat it. Patients will be evaluated and discussed with the Mississippi State Department of Health on a case by case basis to determine need for testing.
“The best way for the community to prevent coronavirus is to wash your hands,” said Dr. George Gillespie. “There’s never been a better time to brush up on one of the easiest ways to avoid the spread of infectious disease: proper, consistent hand hygiene. The CDC recommends 20 seconds of hand washing. If soap and water are not available, then an alcohol-based hand sanitizer is recommended.”
Other tips Gillespie recommends are for people to have medicine to treat cold and flu-like symptoms on hand and stay home when sick with fever and respiratory symptoms such as coughing. He advises patients to follow up with their primary care provider when fever and respiratory problems occur.
“It’s important for the public to realize that this is no reason to panic. This is not a plague that is going to wipe us all out,” said Gregg Gibbes, CEO of Magee General Hospital. “It’s a flu-like illness.”
As of March 3, the United States had a little more than 100 confirmed cases of coronavirus and nine confirmed deaths.
According to the Mississippi State Department of Health, the risk of infection to the Mississippi public continues to be low. To date, there are no cases in Mississippi and no suspects under investigation for potential infection.
