Thursday, March 26, 2020
FHN is confirming the hospitalization of its first patient testing positive for COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) at FHN Memorial Hospital. The patient, in their 50s, had a positive COVID-19 test result reported on March 25. Previously, the patient had been quarantined at home after experiencing symptoms earlier in the week. This is the second confirmed case of COVID-19 in Stephenson County. Specific information related to this patient will not be shared due to federal patient privacy laws (HIPAA).
The Stephenson County Health Department and FHN have been expecting this and have been working diligently to be ready for it. FHN has been anticipating a positive COVID-19 patient within the hospital setting and has prepared extensively. The safety of FHN patients, providers and staff, and the community are the utmost priority throughout this pandemic.
FHN has been closely collaborating with the Stephenson County Health Department to ensure the plan of care for patients in and outside of the hospital are in alignment with recommendations from the Illinois Department of Health (IDPH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Current precautions are in place at FHN to reduce the spread of the virus, which is highly contagious, including visitor restrictions at all FHN locations, rescheduling of non-critical treatments/procedures, and internal infection control processes for all staff and providers.
Except in emergency cases, individuals who think they may have COVID-19 or who believe they have been in contact with someone who has been diagnosed with or is under evaluation for the disease should STAY HOME and CALL their healthcare provider or FHN for further direction.
Symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, and confirmed additional risks such as other health conditions or travel to areas with widespread infections - for more information on symptoms and risk factors, visit www.fhn.org/coronavirus.
Do not go to the Emergency Department at FHN Memorial Hospital, FHN/Physicians Immediate Care Urgent Care Clinic, or any FHN provider office without calling first and receiving instruction as to how to proceed.
FHN has implemented an online screening tool on our home page for individuals to check themselves for symptoms of COVID-19 as well as a hotline for mobile testing of COVID-19 where callers are screened to determine their risk level and appointments for the testing are scheduled if appropriate. Individuals can NOT be tested at the mobile location without an appointment.
At this time, there is no approved treatment or vaccine for COVID-19 so the best course of action is to work as a community to limit its spread. It has been proven that as many as 4 out of 5 cases of COVID-19 are transmitted through a person who has only mild symptoms or no symptoms at all, so it is easy for people to be carriers of the disease to others who are more at risk.
As reminders of how to help reduce the spread...