×

UPMC Preparing For Coronavirus At Facilities

UPMC Chautauqua is pictured on Foote Avenue in Jamestown. P-J file photo P-J photo by Jay Young

There have been no known cases of the COVID-19 virus at any UPMC medical facility, though officials with the Pittsburgh-based health organization with a hospital in Jamestown said procedures are in place to handle potential patients.

UPMC and Allegheny County, Pa., officials held a press conference Tuesday to discuss preparations for the coronavirus. Though no cases have been confirmed in Pennsylvania, two in the New York City area have been confirmed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Dr. Donald Yealy, chairman of the UPMC Department of Emergency Medicine and University of Pittsburgh, said the chances of the coronavirus popping up in western Pennsylvania were “exceptionally high.”

“The question is how many will be here,” Yealy said. “We are well-positioned with our precedures to handle that real well.”

Yealy said UPMC began preparations for the coronavirus in January by contacting health officials on the local, state and federal level where UPMC has facilities including Pennsylvania, New York and Maryland. He said emergency department employees — considered “the front lines” in local communities — have been trained in how to handle potential patients.

“We have had screening guidelines in place in all UPMC locations since early January to help us determine anyone (who may have the virus),” he said. “We have trained our staff what to do next in encountering the infection.”

More than 90,000 people have been sickened worldwide and more than 3,000 have died from the virus, which first showed up in late 2019 in Wuhan, China. The number of countries hit by the virus has reached at least 70.

The illness is characterized by fever and coughing and, in serious cases, shortness of breath or pneumonia.

Graham Snyder, UPMC medical director of infection prevention and hospital epidemiology, said the best way to prepare for the virus is to wash hands with soap and water and to cough or sneeze into an elbow. He cautioned against use of facemasks, which he said are not effective against the virus.

Snyder also urged those not feeling well to stay home to avoid spreading any possible infectious disease. He said no patient has been tested for the virus at any UPMC facility as of Tuesday.

“We started ahead of the curve,” he said. “We have had screening guidelines in place for nearly two months. There are no cases at UPMC presently, but we are ready should we have a case. … We are working quick to develop our own testing.”

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today