NORFOLK, Va. — As the coronavirus spreads to more than 40 countries, the World Health Organization is urging people to take the virus seriously.
Inside of Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, medical staff are gearing up for potential cases. They have masks and protective gear to protect themselves and others. The Centers for Disease Control and the Virginia Department of Health provide daily briefings to Sentara.
Dr. Barry Knapp, an emergency department physician at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital said their medical staff is being proactive.
“We train for this. Every day, we’re in the emergency department and hospital looking for infectious diseases, viruses, and bacteria. We’re comfortable doing it. We have a heightened sense of the coronavirus and its mortality,” said Dr. Knapp. “This is what we do.”
Sentara has a plan in place, which includes placing any potential patients inside of negative pressure rooms, where the air is isolated and contained, preventing it from spreading to the rest of the hospital. The medical group has negative pressure rooms prepared throughout all of its facilities.
“The key points are the international travel at this point, which we’re screening for at all of our facilities to try and highlight those patients that complain about fever, cough which are key indicators for us that we need to take the patients, we need to isolate them,” said Dr. Knapp.
Knapp said the hospital is receiving a high number of requests from people who want to be tested for coronavirus. At this point, testing is limited.
“I think there are some misconceptions out there that you can just walk into any emergency room and be tested for the coronavirus and that’s not necessarily true,” said Dr. Knapp.
“We go through a process through the Virginia Department of Health where we talk about the exposure, the risk factors and rely on the VDH to make the determination if testing is indicated.”
Right now, there are no tests locally that a person’s health care provider can perform. Testing is being forwarded to the VDH, who is pushing all samples to the CDC.
Dr. Knapp said Sentara is working alongside the CDC and VDH to make daily changes as they prepare for expected cases.