More than 50 employees at Lowcountry hospitals have tested positive for coronavirus
More than 50 employees at hospitals in South Carolina’s Lowcounty have tested positive for COVID-19 during the coronavirus pandemic, officials said.
Between the Roper St. Francis Healthcare system and the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston, 55 hospital workers have been confirmed to have the coronavirus.
The 15 Roper St. Francis Healthcare employees with COVID-19 were not included in the four new cases confirmed on Tuesday, hospital spokesman Andy Lyons said in a news release.
That raises the total of cornavirus cases confirmed by Roper St. Francis Healthcare to 127 patients, according to the release.
Fourteen of those patients are currently being treated at a Roper St. Francis facility, while 24 others are isolated in the hospitals waiting for test results, Lyons said.
There was no word if the hospital employees are being treated in the healthcare facilities or if they are in quarantine at home.
Lyons said Roper St. Francis is preparing for a surge of COVID-19 patients. In an effort to create more space for people with the coronavirus, and to protect other non-COVID-19 patients at the hospitals, the healthcare system is consolidating all of its childbirth operations to one location.
All labor and delivery services will be shifted from Roper St. Francis’ other facilities to Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital in West Ashley, according to the release.
“We are expecting the greatest influx of COVID-19 cases in the Lowcountry by late April or early May. There are so many unknowns about what may happen during the coming days and weeks, but we are confident this change will best serve and protect our mothers and their newborns,” Lyons said. “We are being proactive in making this decision now to ensure the safest environment possible.”
Changes are also taking place at MUSC, where the hospital system laid off 900 employees Monday and is slashing pay across the board because of financial hardship brought on by coronavirus.
Among all of MUSC’s employees, 41 in Charleston have tested positive for COVID-19, spokeswoman Heather Woolwine said in a news release.
The workers are part of the 295 patients confirmed to have the coronavirus through testing at MUSC’s Charleston hospital. Currently, three of those patients are being treated in the medical facility, which has completed 4,791 tests, according to the release.
None of the MUSC employees diagnosed with COVID-19 got the coronavirus from hospital or ambulatory patient exposure, it said in the release.
“Our care team members who tested positive for COVID-19 acquired the virus from community and travel transmission,” Woolwine said. “Our care team members are not allowed to come to work if they are experiencing COVID-19-like respiratory symptoms or if they have not completed the testing process when known to have a high-risk exposure in or outside of work. Many of our care team members have fared well and recovered quickly.”
MUSC officials said they are notifying patients who may have been at “high-risk for exposure” from a hospital employee with COVID-19.
Information on employees at other MUSC facilities in Florence, Marion,Chester and Lancaster was not available.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWhat you should know about the coronavirus
The coronavirus is spreading in the United States. Officials are urging people to take precautions to avoid getting sick, and to avoid spreading the disease if they do contract it.
Click the drop-down icon on this card for more on the virus and what you should do to keep yourself and those around you healthy.
What is coronavirus?
Coronavirus is an infection of the respiratory system similar to the flu. Coronaviruses are a class of viruses that regularly cause illnesses among adults and children, but this outbreak has spawned a new disease called COVID-19, a particularly harsh respiratory condition that can lead to death.
Health officials believe COVID-19 spread from animals to humans somewhere in China. It spreads among humans by physical person-to-person contact, including via coughs. That’s why health officials urge sick individuals to avoid contact with other people.
For more information, visit the website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms are similar to the flu and include fever, coughing and shortness of breath.
How can I stop the spread of the coronavirus?
Wash your hands regularly with soap and water, and cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.
If you develop symptoms similar to the coronavirus, you should seek medical attention. Stay home from work or school and avoid contact with others. It can take up to 14 days after coming into contact with the virus to develop symptoms.
COVID-19 is a new condition and there’s much about the disease we still don’t understand. For now, taking precautions is the best way to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Since testing began in March, there have been 300 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Charleston County, second to Richland County (311) for most in South Carolina, according to the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).
There have been 52 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in nearby Dorchester County, where officials extended the county-wide state of emergency through the end of April, “or until otherwise rescinded.” The state of emergency was originally put in place on March 16.
On Monday, 183 new cases of the coronavirus were reported in South Carolina, bringing the statewide total to 2,232 confirmed COVID-19 cases in all 46 counties, according to DHEC.
DHEC also announced that four more people died after testing positive for the coronavirus, raising that total to 48 in a month. State health officials described 46 of the people as elderly, two patients were middle-aged, and all but four had underlying medical conditions.
There have been 19,152 combined negative tests at DHEC’s public health laboratory and at private labs.
Symptoms of coronavirus can include a fever, coughing, and difficulty breathing, according to the CDC. Among the emergency warning signs of COVID-19 is trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, and blueish lips or face, the CDC said.
The best way to prevent infection is to frequently wash hands for 20 seconds; avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth; avoid contact with sick people and clean frequently touched objects with a cleaning spray or wipe, according to the CDC. DHEC also recommends covering your cough, staying home when sick, and disposing tissues and other items that you’ve sneezed or coughed into.
Free online screenings also can be accessed by all South Carolina residents, by going to scdhec.gov/COVID19.
Prisma Health is also offering free access to medical professionals for those who think they may have coronavirus, The State reported. People experiencing COVID-19 symptoms can go to https://www.prismahealth.org/virtual-visit/ and schedule a free online visit, Prisma officials said.
As of Tuesday morning, 1,359,398 people worldwide have been diagnosed with coronavirus and 75,945 people have died, while 289,109 recovered, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States leads the world with 368,449 people who have been diagnosed with the novel virus. In the U.S. 10,993 deaths have been reported, including 3,485 in New York City, according to Johns Hopkins.
