UPDATE: Health officials at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita confirmed that a 70-year-old patient who had tested presumptive positive for COVID-19, has been released.
Officials say the man is currently in quarantine at his home.
ORIGINAL STORY:Wesley Medical Center was notified by the Kansas Department of Health & Environment (KDHE) that they have a patient who is presumptive positive for COVID-19 or coronavirus. The case is in a Butler County man in his 70s who had travel outside the U.S.
The hospital has isolated the patient and is following precautions to ensure the safety of patients, colleagues and visitors.
Visitor restrictions have been instituted. Visitors and patients are being directed to use specific entrances to allow visitors to be screened.
The hospital says supplies have been positioned at points of entry so that any potential symptomatic patient who arrives can be properly masked and immediately isolated to protect colleagues and other patients.
Statement from Wesley:
Wesley Medical Center has protocols in place to care for patients with infectious diseases, and we are working diligently to help ensure we’re prepared for potential issues related to COVID-19. Last night, we were notified by the Kansas Department of Health & Environment (KDHE) that we have a patient in our facility who is presumptive positive for COVID-19. We had already activated protocols for handling COVID-19 cases, including isolating the patient and following precautions to ensure the safety of our patients, colleagues and visitors.
In addition, as we often do during heavy influenza outbreaks, visitor restrictions have been instituted. Visitors and patients are being directed to use specific entrances to allow visitors to be screened. We have positioned supplies at points of entry, so that any potential symptomatic patient who arrives can be properly masked and immediately isolated to protect our colleagues and other patients.
We continue to reinforce infection prevention protocols and work in partnership with the KDHE and the CDC. We will provide updates to our hospital and medical staff as necessary.