First Coast News

A patient at the Orange Park Medical Center has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a Saturday release by the hospital.

This week, the Orange Park Medical Center was notified by the Health Department that a patient at the facility had tested positive for the coronavirus. That patent was in isolation at the time, a spokesperson for the hospital said.

“Orange Park Medical Center has protocols in place to care for patients with infectious diseases, and we have been working diligently to help ensure we're prepared for COVID-19 cases,” said Carrie Turansky, the director of communications for the Orange Park Medical Center. “This week, we were notified by the Health Department that we had a patient in our facility who tested positive for COVID-19.”

Turansky said the hospital put stringent protocols in place even before that notification, “out of an abundance of caution,” to protect other patients, visitors and staff.

“We instituted screening visitors and patients at our entrances. We have positioned supplies at points of entry, so that any potential symptomatic patient who arrives can be properly masked and immediately addressed. As we typically do during cold and flu season, we have visitor restrictions in place including two visitors per patient and no children under 12 years old,” she said in the statement. “We will continue to reinforce infection prevention protocols and are working in partnership with the Health Department and local and state agencies.“

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The hospital said last week out of an abundance of caution they started screening visitors and patients at all entrances.

"We have positioned supplies at points of entry, so that any potential symptomatic patient who arrives can be properly masked and immediately addressed," the release said.

Orange Park Medical Center has protocols in place to care for patients with infectious diseases and will continue to "reinforce infection prevention protocols and are working in partnership with the Health Department and local and state agencies."