Regional Wests Chief Medical Officer Matthew Bruner, MD, FACOG, shares the latest on COVID-19, and has this important message for the community.
Those remarks come in the wake of a patient this past past weekend at Regional West being tested for COVID-19. On Monday those tests came back negative. But with all the fears and unknowns about the coronavirus disease and its impact, Regional West and Bruner wanted to streamline information.
There are 20 states that have confirmed COVID-19 cases, with the majority of cases in Washington State and California.
Dr. Bruner shares ways that people locally can do simple things to prevent getting COVID-19, and explains how the disease evolves.
He also says that if a person does test positive for COVID-19, it is not a death sentence.
Bruner also says there is not an immediate need for anyone from the general public to start wearing face masks to prevent getting infected- just keep washing your hands and using hand sanitizer will go a long way.
Regional West has also been in direct contact with top state officials on COVID-19 to stay on top of the latest as the number of national cases continues to grow.
The recent fears of the COVID-19 have been compared to SARS and MERS, but as Dr. Bruner explains, COVID-19 is similar, but certainly different.
One of the biggest things that Bruner wants the public to know is that Regional West is equipped to handle a patient if in fact they do test positive for COVID-19
Bruner reminds the public that it is still flu season, so people can be a little more proactive when it comes to staying germ free.
Dr. Bruner also shares what you should do if you fear that you might have COVID-19.
If a patient does test positive for COVID-19, Dr. Bruner says that they will not stay at Regional West, noting that other protocols have been set in place.
