FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Kelli McCoy Contact
March 11, 2020
WMC ISSUES PATIENT GUIDANCE FOR CORONAVIRUS
(Weirton, WV) – Officials from Weirton Medical Center (WMC) released guidance for local patients regarding the coronavirus.
“WMC has not had any confirmed cases of coronavirus and as of Wednesday March 11, there were no confirmed cases in West Virginia,” stated Kelli McCoy, WMC Director of Communications.
“Our physicians are obviously getting a lot of calls from concerned patients but unless you are experiencing a fever or respiratory issues and have traveled internationally or been in direct contact with an identified coronavirus patient, you are not considered to be a suspected COVID-19 patient.”
“For patients who do meet the criteria of fever and/or respiratory problems and international travel, you can call your physician office for direction. The physician office will schedule you for a time to come in for evaluation when you are not in direct contact with other patients.”
McCoy added, “Given the limitations on test availability, physician offices and WMC cannot randomly test patients for coronavirus unless the meet the criteria listed above. In reality, there have been very few patients who actually meet the criteria of symptoms and international travel in our area.”
“Medically stable patients who are not showing active signs of illness should not come to any emergency room just to request coronavirus testing. We are still in an active flu season and there is a risk for all hospitals that patients who are not actively ill could overwhelm emergency room resources and delay care for patients who are truly emergent, such as cardiac arrests or stroke patients.”
McCoy ended, “Talk to your doctor’s office and in most cases, you will be advised to stay home, rest and drink fluids unless your condition changes.”