Coronavirus In MA: Lowell General Testing Tent At Saints Campus

LOWELL, MA — Lowell General Hospital has set up a testing tent to prepare for additional coronavirus tests, the hospital said. Widespread testing remained unavailable, the hospital said, but they set the tent up over the weekend so they can quickly scale. Patients with respiratory symptoms are still asked to call a doctor before going to any medical facility.

The tent was set up at the hospital's Saints Campus in collaboration with Chelmsford Emergency Management and the City of Lowell.

“While widespread testing for COVID-19 is not yet available, we are taking this proactive step to ensure that we are able to quickly scale our response once we are able to access more tests,” COO Amy Hoey said.

Testing is not available at LGH's urgent care facilities.

The hospital has also imposed stricter visitor restrictions: only those pre-approved by a patient's care team will be allowed.

Other hospital services are canceled or suspended. Health and wellness programs, occupational management, in-person bariatric information sessions and the gift shops are all closed for at least two weeks.

Don't miss updates about precautions in your area as they are announced. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now transferring from person to person, although the mechanism is not yet fully understood. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, and many patients develop pneumonia. There is as yet no vaccine against COVID-19 it and no antiviral treatment.

According to the CDC, the best way of preventing the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick, to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available.

To avoid spreading any respiratory illness, the CDC recommends staying at home when you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throwing the tissue in the trash, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.