3rd Possible Coronavirus Case Is Woman Turned Away From Hospital

FLOYD COUNTY, GA — A woman who was sent home from a west Georgia emergency care center last week has now preliminarily tested positive for coronavirus, officials said.

Late Thursday night, officials in Floyd County were notified by the Georgia Department of Public Health that a patient in the hospital there had preliminarily tested positive for coronavirus, COVID-19.

The 46-year-old woman initially went to the Floyd Medical Center's Emergency Care Center with flu-like symptoms on Feb. 29. The patient was screened according to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Georgia Department of Public Health, and she was treated and released, officials said. The woman did not meet the criteria to be tested for COVID-19 or warrant hospitalization, the county said in a release Thursday.

The woman returned to the Floyd Emergency Care Center on Tuesday with worsening symptoms. After further tests were completed, the Georgia Department of Public Health was notified and approved the woman's release from the facility, authorities said. Although the patient again did not meet coronavirus screening criteria, Floyd clinicians decided to admit her to the hospital due to her condition, the county said.

"The patient was placed in isolation, and further screening occurred. At the urging of the attending physician and District Health Director Dr. Gary Voccio, CDC and Georgia Department of Public Health authorized COVID-19 testing for the patient," officials said. "The preliminary test result was deemed positive. Additional confirmatory testing is being performed, and results from CDC are anticipated in the coming days."

As the county and health officials await final confirmation, Floyd said it has been told by the Georgia Department of Public Health to notify caregivers who treated this patient before her isolation Tuesday. In addition, although the risk of exposure is low, the county said, Floyd has decided to proactively notify all patients who may have had contact with any of these caregivers or who may have been in the ER when the patient was there to instruct them on next steps and address concerns.

"The public can be assured that it is safe to seek care at Floyd," the county said. "We have the facilities and the expertise to care for those patients while protecting the safety of all of our patients, visitors and employees. Floyd has negative-pressure isolation rooms with specialized ventilation systems. Our staff participates in drills and training routinely to maintain a state of continual readiness, and our caregivers use personal protective equipment when caring for any patient suspected of having an infectious disease."

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This is the third case of coronavirus in Georgia; the first two, a father and son in Fulton County, were confirmed Monday night.

In an update Tuesday on the cases, Fulton County Board of Health Director Elizabeth Ford said a man who had been in Milan, Italy, and his son are the two people who tested positive for COVID-19, as the virus is also known.

The 56-year-old Fulton County man was traveling home Feb. 22 from Milan and didn't show symptoms for several days, WSB reported. Later, his son also tested positive for COVID-19. The father and son both saw a private doctor and were also tested by the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the news station.

The man's spouse and another child in the family are being tested, too. A Cherokee County private co-op school was temporarily closed when officials determined the teen was a student there.

According to the Cherokee County School District on Wednesday, Living Science Home Studies was temporarily closed because the 15-year-old home-schooled student had recently taken some classes at the facility.

SEE MORE

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• GA Coronavirus: 2 Cases Confirmed In Fulton County
• GA Coronavirus Patients Are Father And Son
• GA School Shuts Down After Positive Coronavirus Test: District
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• Kroger Issues Limit On Flu Medicine And Hand Sanitizer
• Starbucks Takes Steps To Avoid Coronavirus Spread In Atlanta

Prevent the Spread of Illness

According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, the best way "to prevent infection with any respiratory virus is to use the same preventive strategies used during a normal cold and flu season":

• Get a flu shot every year.
• Wash hands with soap and water frequently.
• Avoid touching your mouth, nose and eyes.
• Stay home when you are sick until the illness is gone.
• Cover coughs and sneezes, and wash hands afterward.
• Wipe down frequently touched surface, including cell phones, door knobs and light switches.
• Stay 5-6 feet away from others who are coughing or otherwise ill.

Public Health Guidance On Virus Prevention:

• Do not go to an emergency room unless absolutely essential. People with symptoms including a cough, fever or other respiratory issues are advised to contact their regular doctor first.
• If you are sick, stay home.
• Commit to excellent personal hygiene, including regular hand-washing, and avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

If You Have Symptoms

• Call your doctor if you have symptoms such as a cough, fever or difficulty breathing AND have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19, or if you live in or have recently traveled from an area with ongoing spread of COVID-19.
• If you are in respiratory distress, call 911 right away.
• Stay home when sick, except to get medical care.
• Consistently practice the personal hygiene habits listed above.
• Stay informed. Information is changing frequently.

Stay Informed

• Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
• Georgia State Department of Health
• https://gov.georgia.gov/

Globally, more than 100,000 people have been infected and over 3,400 people have died from the new coronavirus, Johns Hopkins reported Friday morning. Of that total, more than 80,000 confirmed cases are in China, while the entire United States has 238 confirmed cases as of Friday morning.

The disease is caused by a member of the coronavirus that's a close cousin to the SARS and MERS viruses.