Four Columbus Regional Health employees, including one Columbus Regional Hospital physician, have tested positive for COVID-19.
CRH received confirmation of the positive tests between Friday and late Monday afternoon and has notified staff members and the families of patients who may have come in contact with the employees during the last two weeks they worked, said CRH spokeswoman Kelsey DeClue.
DeClue wouldn’t say where the other three employees worked, but said none of the four individuals had symptoms while on the job.
CRH officials declined to reveal how many staff members or patients may have been exposed to the virus while at a CRH facility, how many CRH employees are in quarantine or if the infected employees were assigned to treat known COVID-19 patients.
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Currently, there are eight people with COVID-19 in isolation at Columbus Regional Hospital, three in critical condition and five in stable condition, DeClue said. A total of 17 people have been isolated and treated for the virus at Columbus Regional Hospital since the outbreak started, including some patients from other counties. At least two of the patients have recovered and been released.
So far, 13 Bartholomew County residents have tested positive for the virus, but 204 test results are still pending, according to the Bartholomew County Health Department.
CRH officials wouldn’t say whether the infected employees are hospitalized or self-isolating at home, but characterized the cases as “mild to moderate” in severity and said the hospital system is following guidelines from the federal Centers for Disease Control as to when they can return to work.
DeClue said the workers’ exposure to the virus was not due to a lack of proper personal protective equipment, and the cases have not adversely impacted staffing at the hospital.
“They’re employed within our health system and the physician was a hospital-based physician,” DeClue said. “…It seems to be an example of community spread, meaning that, as of right now, it hasn’t been tracked down exactly how they contracted the virus.”
The four cases among CRH staff come as hospitals around the country are bracing for what they say is a likely surge in COVID-19 patients over the next several weeks.
One of the challenges facing health care facilities, health experts say, is preventing widespread infections among health workers, which can hamper the ability to respond to the crisis.
Last week, Schneck Medical Center in Seymour quarantined 63 employees for two weeks after they came in contact with someone who later tested positive for COVID-19.
In Spain, the number of medical workers infected with COVID-19 accounted for around 13.6% of the country’s total cases as of last week, and 1% of the health system’s workforce, The Associated Press reported.
Similar numbers have been reported in Italy, where, as of last week, one-tenth of the country’s infections were among medical workers and at least 33 doctors have died, according to wire reports.
Additionally, around 3,000 medical workers in China were infected with the virus earlier this year, Dr. Liang Wannian, the leader of a team of Chinese experts working with the World Health Organization to study the outbreak, told The Associated Press.
The World Health Organization’s director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has called the large number of infections among health workers “alarming,” according to wire reports.
Currently, the toll that the outbreak has taken on health care workers in Indiana is unknown.
State health officials do not actively track how many health care workers in Indiana test positive for COVID-19, the Indiana Joint Information Center said in a statement to The Republic.
“Laboratories may not know the occupation of an individual being tested for COVID-19, so this is not data we currently have,” a spokesperson for Indiana Joint Information Center said. “Health care facilities with a known health care worker are encouraged to contact (the Indiana State Department of Health) or their local health department to ensure that appropriate infection-control protocols are implemented.”
CRH is not concerned that the four cases indicate a possible broader outbreak among its staff, DeClue said.
“I wouldn’t say these cases are causing us any alarm or to rethink what we’re doing because we’re following those guidelines by the CDC,” DeClue said. “So we just need to make sure we continue to stay on top of those (guidelines) and make sure that our workforce is aware and following them.”
CRH officials said they have been taking measures to reduce the risk of staff and patients of being infected, including restricting visitors to the hospital, screening people and employees at the entrances of its facilities, taking their temperatures and asking for symptoms before allowing people inside, DeClue said.
The hospital system also has ramped up its efforts to clean, sanitize and disinfect its facilities, especially in patient-care areas, she added.
CRH officials are regularly making sure employees have the personal protective equipment they need and checking that the equipment fits correctly and is being worn properly. DeClue said CRH currently has adequate supplies of personal protective equipment.
The hospital system, as part of its surge planning, has been planning how to handle an increase in confirmed cases among staff, which DeClue said is “a critical piece” of the local response to the pandemic.
“It’s something right now that we’re monitoring and planning for,” DeClue said. “…Staffing is a critical piece. We’ve got to make sure that our health care workers are safe and protected and that if they need to be tested, they can get that test quickly and return to work. We’ve got to keep them a priority so we can continue to handle this (outbreak).”
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Federal officials are scrambling to broaden testing for the coronavirus after one of the government’s top health officials called the initial testing effort “a failing” and health care professionals, politicians and patients across the country complained about lack of access to testing, according to The Associated Press.
CRH officials have acknowledged that there is a “shortage of testing supplies” and said relatively healthy people with a low fever and cough and are not that sick would likely be advised to stay at home and not seek medical attention.
However, people with symptoms such as shortness of breath or risk factors such as being older than 60 and/or having a compromised immune system should seek medical care and let their physician decide if a test will help direct their care.
Anyone with concerns are urged to call the health system’s Triage Resource Call Center, a phone resource line launched by CRH last week to handle calls from residents with questions and concerns about exposure or symptoms associated with COVID-19.
The phone line is open daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and is staffed by registered nurses who will offer screening questions and potentially recommend a course of action for patients, said CRH spokeswoman Kelsey DeClue.
The phone resource line can be contacted at 812-379-4449.
Visit crh.org/news/2020/03/16/coronavirus-update-what-you-need-to-know for more information.
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