BY RAY KING
Sixteen people have tested positive for the COVD-19 virus since testing began at Jefferson Regional Hospital and two of those are currently in isolation, according to Brian Thomas, the CEO of Jefferson Regional.
Appearing on the Delta Radio Network Friday morning, Thomas said eight of those who tested positive are hospital employees.
“Those are our team members, our family members,” Thomas said.
While a patient at Jefferson Regional was the first in the state to test positive for the virus, Thomas said people not only in Pine Bluff and Jefferson County but across the state “walking around feeling sick for some time.”
He declined to provide any information about that patient, citing privacy laws.
Thomas said symptoms of COVD-19 are similar to the flu and the hospital has set up a procedure for patients to be screened. He said those people should call 870-541-4991 and a registered nurse will answer the call and assess the situation.
Based on the answers to a series of questions, , callers may be directed to the hospital’s Urgent Care facility where medical personnel will meet the caller. He said recently, 20 to 25 people were directed to the facility and 15 of them were screened.
Also appearing on the show was Mayor Shirley Washington who said that city hall, which has been closed for a week and two days will be reopening Monday but only for employees and members of the public needing service should try to transact their business on lien or over the telephone.
Washington said while there is not a plan in place to separate employees, most of them have offices and the workstations are more than six-feet apart.
Asked about public comments which have been a part of city council meetings but did not take place during the last meeting which was closed to the public, Washington said citizens have been required to call the Mayor’s Office to sign up to speak and to designate what item they wanted to talk about and the plans are now to find out what question or issue the person wanted to talk about and answer that issue when the meeting is live streamed.
Washington also confirmed information Deltaplexnews received Thursday that more than 50 homes in Jefferson County have been quarantined but could not go into detail because of patient privacy acts.
