ST. CHARLES, Mo. – CenterPointe Hospital says more than 15 staff members and three patients have tested positive for COVID-19. Those cases have prompted the hospital to temporarily discontinue admissions. The hospital says due to the nature of the virus, it can’t be certain how it entered the hospital.

The hospital says it has been in communications with the St. Charles County Health Department so it can notify individuals who may have been exposed during this and determine how to respond.

CenterPointe officials say they have been reviewing information from local, state and federal health officials since the virus arrived in Missouri. The hospital says before deciding to stop admissions, officials tried to stop the spread of the virus in the hospital by eliminating visitations, taking temperatures of staff and vendors, distributing masks among others.