Several areas in Greene County have taken precautions against the novel coronavirus.
The Greene County Medical Center has placed restrictions in several departments due to the global outbreak of COVID-19. All vendors, except those essential to operations, and volunteers are temporarily restricted from acute care, emergency room, long term care, specialty clinics, outpatient services and other departments. Only primary caregivers deemed essential to the care of a patient are allowed at the medical center. Primary caregivers include parents/step-parents, spouse/significant other and other defined caregivers.
Visitors who fit the criteria must sign up upon entry to the medical center. The Auxiliary Gift Garden is also temporarily closed and any activities scheduled at the medical center for the next 30 days have been cancelled.
Greene County Public Health Director BeckY Wolf says the coronavirus started in Wuhan, China.
“Early on in the outbreak many of the patients were linked to a large market, which at that time suggested an animal-to-person transmission or spread. However, now the virus seems to be spreading from person-to-person through respiratory (means).”
Wolf adds, the medical center is using screening questions provided by the Centers for Disease Control related to the virus, including someone who is experiencing a fever or respiratory signs such as coughing or shortness of breath, having traveled to an affected geographic area in the 14 days prior to the signs and symptoms, or who may have had close contact with someone who is known to have or suspected to have COVID-19 in the 14 days prior to experiencing signs and symptoms.
Precautions are also being taken by elder care facilities in the county. The Gardens Assisted Living in Jefferson has limitations protocols in place for non-essential in-person visits, which are those situations that are non-emergency or non-medical. The Gardens staff encourage other ways to stay in-touch with a loved one at the facility, such as phone, Facetime or Skype. Regency Park Nursing and Rehabilitation in Jefferson is also encouraging community members to not visit the facility unless it is absolutely necessary. Both facilities are following protocol recommendations from the CDC, Iowa Health Care Association and the American Healthcare Association.
Wolf reminds everyone that since the symptoms of the virus are similar to influenza, she recommends constantly washing hands with soap and warm water, covering coughs and sneezes, using hand sanitizer and staying home when sick.