Columbia manufacturing company reports employee tests positive for coronavirus
An employee at a manufacturing company’s Columbia-area facility tested positive for the coronavirus.
DAK Americas officials learned the employee had been diagnosed with COVID-19 on April 3, corporate spokesman Ricky Lane told The State Wednesday. The employee had not been at work for a week prior to testing positive, according to Lane.
The coronavirus patient is in self isolation and is “doing well,” Lane said.
The company that produces Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) resins to make polyester fiber has a plant in Gaston. It’s about 12 miles outside of Columbia.
In spite of the confirmed coronavirus case, production continues at the Columbia-area facility, Lane said. But some precautions have been added to the protocols the company had already put in place.
“We did extra cleaning in the area where the employee worked,” Lane said.
Also, other employees working in that area are having their temperatures checked twice per shift, according to Lane.
The rest of the employees in the facility have their temperatures checked once a day by an on-site nurse who is making workers aware of all COVID-19 symptoms, Lane said.
None of the other employees working in the area where the confirmed coronavirus patient was stationed are self quarantined, and no other cases of COVID-19 have been reported, according to Lane.
Lane said DAK Americas in Columbia is performing routine cleaning and sanitizing, and following guidelines from the CDC on social distancing.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) is encouraging people to practice social distancing to help stop the spread of the virus. Social distancing is staying away from unnecessary interactions with sick people and from large groups of people; it also calls for remaining at home unless it is absolutely necessary to go out.
Since early March, DHEC reported 130 positive COVID-19 tests in Lexington County, sixth-most of any county in South Carolina. Five people have died after testing positive in Lexington County, according to DHEC.
On Tuesday, 187 new cases of the coronavirus were reported in South Carolina, bringing the statewide total to 2,417 confirmed COVID-19 cases in all 46 counties, according to DHEC.
DHEC also announced that three more people died after testing positive for the coronavirus, raising that total to 51 in a month. State health officials described 49 of the people as elderly, two patients were middle-aged, and all but four had underlying medical conditions.
“There is currently no cure or vaccine,” the South Carolina Emergency Management Division said.
There have been 21,263 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 Wednesday morning, 1,446,557 people worldwide have been diagnosed with coronavirus and 83,149 people have died, while 307,982 recovered, according to Johns Hopkins University. The United States leads the world with 399,929 people who have been diagnosed with the novel virus. In the U.S. 12,911 deaths have been reported, including 4,009 in New York City, according to Johns Hopkins.
