The hospital is open – see update stories
Golden Valley Memorial Hospital in west-central Missouri’s Clinton is not admitting new patients after a Henry County resident tested positive for COVID-19, known as the coronavirus. The hospital is being placed on diversion for emergency services.
Missouri hospital stops admitting patients after person tests positive for COVID-19
The patient’s test results have not yet been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prior to confirmation, health officials refer to a positive case as “presumptive positive”. This case is one of the new cases reported by Gov. Mike Parson yesterday at a press conference. The governor also declared a state of emergency, which gives the state flexibility in getting about $13 million in federal aid.
The patient was admitted to Golden Valley Memorial Hospital prior to being transferred on March 8 to another facility where a specimen was collected for testing and where the patient remains currently. Local health department officials are identifying close contacts to monitor for symptoms and contain spread.
Missourinet is awaiting information from the state about whether this case is travel related and the place where the person is currently at.
As part of the investigation, patients and visitors to the hospital will be contacted by public health officials.
“We are working closely with our state partners as well as our local hospital to quickly identify and respond to anyone who may need to self-isolate due to close contact with this individual,” says Peggy Bowles, administrator of the Henry County Health Center. “It is vital that we act quickly with protective measures.”
DHSS has tested a total of 94 individuals statewide for COVID-19. Ninety of the individuals tested negative. One confirmed case is a St. Louis County woman in her 20s who recently returned from studying abroad in Italy. St. Louis County has another “presumptive positive” case awaiting CDC confirmation. Another likely case is in southwest Missouri’s Springfield. A patient there tested positive after recently traveling to Austria.
“We are committed to assisting our local partners in Henry County through this process,” said Dr. Randall Williams, director of DHSS. “It is very important that anyone identified as a close contact of this patient follow necessary precautions to limit any potential spread of infection.”
For more information on COVID-19, visit the CDC’s website and the DHSS website.
Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet