“This is unfortunate, but not unexpected, as this pandemic
is wreaking havoc in the healthcare industry throughout the world. Sadly, most
hospitals have had infected staff and, in some situations, numerous staff have
been impacted. There are no words to
express our gratitude for the courage and dedication brought to bear by our
hospital staff. They are truly warriors in the war against this invisible
enemy,” said Jeff Zewe, RN, president and chief executive officer, Olean
General Hospital and Bradford Regional Medical Center.
The hospital arranges testing for staff who show symptoms
and continues to screen all employees. All staff are appropriately masked and
follow proper precautions. Should staff test positive, they will be removed
immediately from service until they are symptom free.
“There’s no reason to test all employees. Testing employees
who are not symptomatic can prove ineffective since people could test negative
today and tomorrow become symptomatic. In addition, it’s an ineffective use of
our limited testing kits,” said William Mills, MD, senior vice president,
quality and professional affairs, OGH and BRMC.
“The incubation period can be up to 14 days, so getting a
negative test today won’t guarantee that people won’t have a positive test
later,” Dr. Mills said.
Employees were reminded today that more than 80 percent of
COVID-19 cases are mild and the treatment is symptomatic. There are no specific medications or vaccines
for COVID-19. Staff are frequently reminded to wear their masks at all times,
monitor their temperature twice a day, wash their hands before and after every
patient contact and frequently throughout the day, and report symptoms to their
manager immediately.
