A non-elderly “adult” who had traveled recently within the United States is the first confirmed case of Coronavirus in Shelby County. The individual is being treated at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis.
No name, age, area of residence or other potentially identifying information was provided by Shelby County Health Department officials on Sunday morning, giving residents little reason to discount their own sniffles as common ailments in the midst of flu season and not the deadly COVID-19, a highly contagious virus that has killed upwards of 3,500 people internationally.
The mayors of Memphis and Shelby County urged people with fevers or colds to stay home; local government employees with upper respiratory infections will be excused from work as a precaution.
“We would encourage other large employers to review their policies to help employees who are sick have the ability to stay at home,” said Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris.
Officials are still identifing people who may have interacted with the patient during an unspecified amount of time before he or she sought treatment. Having 10 or more minutes of direct contact with someone suspected to have COVID-19 could lead to a federally mandated 14-day quarantine.
Dr. Steve Threlkeld, Co-Director of Baptist’s Infection Control Program, said that a hospital lab director physically drove the patient’s sample specimin to Nashville on Friday. The Tennessee Department of Health subsequently confirmed that the patient indeed had contracted the virus, according to Dr. Threlkeld.
On Wednesday last week, local media heard rumors that a hospital already had one possible Coronavirus case. Dr. Threlkeld said there have been a number of “false claims."
The patient is described in “good” condition and being treated in a room with negative pressure airflow, which prevents air in the room from circulating into other areas of the hospital. The room is used for other airborn pathogens, such as tuberculosis. Caregivers are using CDC-approved protective equipment.
Officials say that 80 percent of young, healthy people may not exhibit COVID-19 symptoms significant enough to seek treatment, increasing the potential spread of the virus.
Memphis' high poverty rate raises the probability that workers without good benefits will not seek immediate treatment or be able to take time off work for common upper respiratory infections, as recommended by the Shelby County Health Department. Director Alisa Haushalter, says that leaders of local healthcare providers will meet next week to discuss a “safety net” for the Memphis public.
“We want to make sure people have equal access to treatment,” Haushalter said, though there is currently no free public testing for Coronavirus.
As families make travel plans for spring break, the Centers for Disease Control have released a map of high-risk locations. There are no travel restrictions or warnings for travel within the United States.
Local officials say updates on the virus' progression will be provided at a weekly press conference, scheduled for Wednesdays.
