Following the announcement that there are six new cases of COVID-19 in the region, Owensboro Health Chief Medical Officer Francis DuFrayne and Vice President of Medical Affairs Michael Kelley said they were hopeful COVID-19 would bypass our region, they are not surprised by these results and were prepared for them.
DuFrayne and GRDHD Director Clay Horton both said Daviess County residents should expect to see more positive test results confirmed across the local area in the upcoming weeks.
As of Friday morning, 57 people had been tested through Owensboro Health, DuFrayne said.
In light of the increase in cases, Owensboro Health has changed its visitor policies to keep patients and hospital staff as healthy as possible. These new changes will take effect Friday at 6 p.m.
All adults admitted to Owensboro Health Regional Hospital cannot have visitors at this time, they said.
Those in the maternity ward can have one visitor, and that visitor must be the same person throughout that patient’s stay.
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is allowing two visitors per patient, but the two people must be the parents of the patient.
“As always, these restrictions are fluid because the situation is changing on a daily basis,” DuFrayne said.
Kelley said these restrictions are being put in place to keep everyone safe and enforce minimal contacts between those in and out of the hospital.
The OHRH cafe will also be closed for patients and visitors until further notice.
As DuFrayne and Kelley do their part to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, they are encouraging the community to continue abiding by the CDC guidelines that include rigorous hand-washing, social distancing, avoiding gathering in large groups and taking care of their respiratory health.
“We’ve been out in front of this,” Kelley said. “It’s not something we wanted, but we’re prepared for it.”
The OH website now provides a list of quarantine and home-care instructions for those who test positive, as well as for the people around them.
—–
Click here for all of our coronavirus coverage.
The Owensboro Health coronavirus hotline is available 24/7 by calling 877-888-6647. Call the hotline before seeking in-person care. More information from OH can be found here.
For the latest information and data on COVID-19 in Kentucky visit kycovid19.ky.gov or dial the Kentucky state hotline at 800-722-5725.
For the latest health guidelines and resources from the CDC, visit their website here.
