Marengo records first case of COVID-19

“The thing we knew was coming, came.”

Doug Brewer, CEO/Administrator of Whitfield Regional Hospital, confirmed today that Marengo County has its first case of COVID-19.

The patient is an employee of WRH who is believed to have contracted the virus while visiting out of state, he said. The employee last worked at the hospital on Monday, March 23, and has been in self-isolation since then.

Because normal testing takes up to seven days for results, Brewer said the hospital was able to go through UAB and its 45-minute test results to confirm the diagnosis.

WRH already had in place the protocols set by the UAB Infectious Disease Department on how to handle employee infections, he continued. Fellow employees who were in prolonged contact with the patient will be required to wear masks and be checked daily.

Even before the employee became ill, however, most hospital workers already were wearing masks and taking other precautions, knowing that eventually the coronavirus would hit home, said Brewer.

“It’s a safe hospital for our employees to come to,” he stressed. “There is no hospital you could go to that is better.”

A mask check-out process for hospital workers has been added to the current temperature station in the main lobby of WRH. Employees are trained on the proper way to wear and store a mask. In order to conserve supplies, those not working with isolated patients will wear their mask for five shifts before being issued a new one.

WRH is taking other measures to prepare for any coronavirus patients that must be hospitalized, he said. The detox unit is being converted to an isolation unit for suspected cases.

Converting the unit isn’t a quick process, he continued. All protocols have to be rewritten to make sure both patients and staff are protected.

The hospital is well stocked with needed supplies because it started planning weeks ago for expected cases of the virus. It even has been lending supplies such as masks to other healthcare providers who are running low. WRH employees are following policies to conserve supplies and not use them needlessly.

“We’re in really good shape,” said Brewer.