NAPLES, FLA — We don't have a name, age or possible travel history, but this is what Fox 4 was able to learn about the first COVID-19 patient being treated at the Naples Community Hospital.
"The patient is here in the healthcare system and they're getting the appropriate care," said Jonathan Kling, RN, Chief Nursing Officer at NCH.
That person is being heldin one of the hospital's 60 isolation rooms.
NCH doctors say they're working to determine if they've gotten anyone else sick.
"Their families have been informed and we've given them the recommendations from the CDC and the department of health," said Kling.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CORONAVIRUS
A whopping 37 NCH employees are now under quarantine after having some kind of contact with that person between March 11 and March 13.
To keep from having to quarantine anyone else, NCH is asking the community to think before showing up.
"Don't use the hospital as a screening location. Don't put anybody at risk," said Kling.
If you believe you have COVID-19, what you can do is come to their newly opened drive-thru testing site.
This is criteria you must meet to get a test done:
"Essentially its travel within the last 14 days, fever, cough, running nose, flu-like symptoms."
They'll be testing 40 people a day, Monday to Friday, at the site, which is located at the basement level of the hospital's Telford building.
Though they do believe people will take the proper precautions, the hospital is also working to make sure no other staff members are exposed.
"Our frontline staff are wearing protective equipment for all first encounters with patients," said Kling.
