Nephron Pharmaceuticals employee tests positive for coronavirus
An employee with Nephron Pharmaceuticals, one of the nation’s top producers of respiratory medications, has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus, the West Columbia corporation confirmed to The State on Wednesday.
The employee last attended work on March 31 and developed symptoms after soon after leaving, a company representative said. Nephron was informed of the positive test on April 2. The company then had employees clean and disinfect the employee’s work space.
The employee will remain at home for 14 days.
The company sent home all employees working during the same shift in the same area as the infected worker, as well as all those who had close contact with the worker, the representative said. The company identified those workers by reviewing video footage.
”As we continue to lead the nationwide COVID-19 response by making life-saving respiratory medications, the health and safety of our hardworking employees remains our highest priority. But we knew this virus would eventually touch a member of our company family,” CEO Lou Kennedy said in a statement.
“We regret to have received confirmation that one of our invaluable employees has tested positive for COVID-19. We are grateful that this employee is home recovering, and we pray for their continued healing, just as we do for people across our nation, who are impacted by the virus.”
In addition to regularly cleaning common areas, the company said it is taking extra measures to prevent the spread of infection. Visitors are no longer allowed at facilities and everyone who enters the building bust have their temperature taken. Employees are sent home if their temperature is above 99.0 degrees.
Every month, Nephron typically produces about 85 million doses of inhalation solution used in nebulizers to treat respiratory issues. The company’s orders, however, have spiked roughly 48% in response to the coronavirus pandemic, as respiratory issues are one of the most common and deadly effects of the virus.
More than 400,000 cases of the virus have been reported in the United States as of Wednesday afternoon. South Carolina health officials have reported more than 2,400 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across the state and estimate there are more than 16,800 total cases when accounting for untested positives.
In mid-March, Kennedy told The State that the company was seeking FDA approval to ramp up production even more to keep pace with growing demand for inhalation solution. According to the company’s website, Nephron employs more than 900 people, and it is one of only a few businesses looking to hire during the pandemic.
