Harrison County healthcare workers who treated coronavirus patient quarantined
After a Kentucky patient was confirmed Friday to have COVID-19, or novel coronavirus, three Harrison County healthcare workers have been placed under quarantine for two weeks.
According to a Facebook announcement by Family Care Associates out of Cynthiana, Dr. Brian Mulberry, advanced practice nurse Kathy Hammond and physician assistant Crista Crowdy have all been placed under quarantine. None of the three are showing symptoms of coronavirus, but are being quarantined under guidelines from the Centers of Disease Control.
The announcement Saturday also reminded people that testing for coronavirus is only valid if a patient is showing symptoms, and that the practice is not able to perform the test in-house. The practice recommended that their patients call their office so that they can arrange testing through Harrison Memorial Hospital.
The practice will remain open for “critical medical needs,” according to the announcement.
Late Sunday, Gov. Andy Beshear announced a second confirmed case of coronavirus from a test conducted in Harrison County, as well as new confirmed cases from tests in Fayette and Jefferson counties. That raised the state’s total of confirmed cases to four.
COVID-19 causes a respiratory illness and is particularly dangerous to people who are elderly or have chronic health issues like lung, heart or kidney disease, according to the CDC.
“Surgical masks should be worn by sick patients only,” the practice said in the announcement. “Masks will not protect you. Hand washing, hand sanitizer and staying at least 6 feet away from anyone ill is the best protection at this time. If you are ill, please stay home.”
Schools in Harrison County will be closed this week and all school sports and extracurricular activities have been canceled.
Nursing homes across Harrison County are prohibiting visitors until further notice, including Cedar Ridge Health Campus, Grand Haven Nursing Home, Parkside Manor, Edgemont Healthcare and Shady Lawn.
In a Harrison County press conference Sunday that was shared by The Cynthiana Democrat, Cynthiana Mayor James Smith and Harrison County Judge-Executive Alex Barnett applauded residents in the area for how they’ve handled what’s happening.
“I do want to say how proud I am to be from Cynthiana and Harrison County,” Smith said. “The response, the way people are pulling together, their attitude, their positive energy, their prayer, all of that is just contributing to us being a model of how communities can handle this.”
Smith also encouraged residents to avoid sharing false information or “conspiracy theories.”
“You may not be afraid and that’s great, but some people are legitimately afraid of the impact that this could have on some of their loved ones,” Smith said.
In response to posts and comments on social media questioning if the patient might be an employee of the Cynthiana Walmart, a Walmart corporate spokesperson sent the following statement to the Herald-Leader:
“While we are not able to confirm any information related to our associates to protect their privacy, we have been in contact with state and local health officials. In coordination with the WEDCO District Health Department, the store remains open for customers and associates to shop and work in the store. We have enacted cleaning and sanitizing protocols with guidance from Walmart’s Chief Medical Officer and we will continue to take any and all measures necessary to ensure the well-being of our associates and customers.”
This story was originally published March 8, 2020 at 11:21 AM.
