Officials speak about COVID-19 hospital case
JACKSON, Tenn. — The Jackson-Madison County General Hospital and Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department were notified of a confirmed case of COVID-19.
“Yesterday the hospital was notified that we have a patient that has tested positive for COVID-19. This case of COVID-19 was not unexpected at all at the hospital. We have been preparing for these types of patients for weeks and weeks,” West Tennessee Healthcare executive, Amy Garner said.
The patient is a resident of Chester County, but was treated at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital.
The patient was immediately placed in isolation and appropriate protocols have been implemented with the Tennessee Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control.
According to a letter posted on the Chester County Schools Twitter page, it states that a staff member at Chester County Junior High School tested positive for COVID-19.
“We are working and coordinating with the Department of Health and the health care community to make sure that all the citizens are protected. I would still like emphasize to pray for our county and our surrounding counties,” Chester County Mayor Barry Hutcherson said.
“We fully expected to have a case or cases in Madison County, and we’ve been meeting daily for weeks how we get prepared for this, and we are as prepared as we can be at the present time, and I just encourage our folks to follow the guidelines and stay inside as much as you can,” Madison County Mayor Jimmy Harris said.
“We are constantly monitoring the situation. As everyone knows, this changes every hour and so we are in constant communication with the state health department, all of our local authorities and the CDC about how we can better protect and serve the people that we serve,” Jackson Mayor Scott Conger said.
Health officials say it’s important to continue practicing the act of social distancing, as well as washing your hands frequently and following CDC guidelines to prevent the spread of COVD-19.
“I would just say to the public that this is not a time to panic. It’s important that we understand that the illness is spreading into our local communities and it’s more important than ever for us to try to prevent the spread of illness. Don’t gather in large groups of people and make sure that you are staying home if you are sick,” Garner said.
We reached out to the director of schools for confirmation that this is the same patient who tested positive for COVID-19 at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital.
The director said out of respect for the employee’s privacy, there will not be any additional information released on the employee.
