Austin Physician Tests Positive For New Coronavirus

AUSTIN, TX — A St. David's HealthCare physician has tested positive for new coronavirus, officials confirmed on Wednesday.

The chief medical officer at St. David's HealthCare, Ken Mitchell, confirmed the development in an email to Patch. He said local health authorities were immediately noticed of the "presumptive positive case" after consultations with epidemiology and infection prevention authorities, the spokesperson said. The "presumptive" descriptor is used pending analysis outcome from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

COVID-19 is caused by a member of the coronavirus family that’s a close cousin to the SARS and MERS viruses that have sparked outbreaks in the past. At last check, Austin Public Health officials said 17 positive cases have emerged in Travis County in a tally updated each day at 7 p.m. Statewide, the respiratory ailment has claimed two lives — a man in his 90s from Matagorda County and another male patient who died of the illness at the age of 77 years old at an Arlington, Texas, retirement center. Both deaths occurred this past Sunday, as officials confirmed separately.

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"We are working to trace any potential exposure to patients, as well as other healthcare workers, based on the timeline of this incident," Mitchell added.

The majority of the interaction between the physician and patients/staff occurred in areas where most healthcare workers were wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), which reduces the risk of exposure to a very low level, the chief medical officer said. "We will contact patients and providers who may require further observation and/or testing based on our risk assessment."

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Mitchell assured the positive diagnosis for respiratory ailment was not attributable to clinical shortcomings: "This exposure was not the result of a breach of protocol in our hospitals, and we will continue to follow our best practices for preventing the spread of the coronavirus," Mitchell said.

No further details were provided.