Athens' two hospitals are beginning to see more patients with upper respiratory symptoms and face short supplies of personal protective equipment and sanitizing wipes.

Meanwhile, the supply of test kits is increasing, but turnaround time is still a week or longer to confirm if patients are suffering from the COVID-19 disease caused by the coronavirus, or another illness that affects the upper respiratory system.

With more private labs now analyzing test kits, turnaround time is improving, and with more kits becoming available, more people beyond the priority groups could get access.

"We are starting to see a little bit of movement on that," Piedmont Athens Regional CEO Michael Burnett Burnett said.

Piedmont recently began a drive-up testing site at its Oconee County campus, now processing about 30 people a day, but the results "are going to take a while," Burnett said.

Testing is limited to priority groups.

But what the hospitals and staff need most right now is prayer, said Burnett and St. Mary’s President and CEO Montez Carter in a conference call Tuesday arranged by the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce.

St. Mary's and Piedmont Athens haven't yet seen the surge of patients that has overwhelmed hospitals in many hard-hit areas, Carter said.

“Supplies continue to be a concern,” however, Burnett said.

"Now, it's tough to get sanitizing wipes," Carter said — not the kind sold in grocery stores, but hospital-grade.

More supplies are becoming available to hospitals as the coronavirus pandemic progresses, however, the CEOs said.

"We are not overwhelmed," and in fact in some practice areas, the patient volume is actually down, Carter said.

Piedmont has also rescheduled many elective surgeries and screenings, Burnett said.

"Our team is tired, they're anxious, but they're on top of it,“ Burnett said.

Healthcare workers, some of the people most at risk from the highly contagious coronavirus that causes COVID-19, are taking extra precautions. Piedmont is asking employees to take their temperature twice a day, once before coming to work.

"They're leaving their families to come here and worried about coming home," Burnett said.

The CEOs wouldn't speculate on how much the number of COVID-19 cases in Clarke County might climb in the coming days. The number of confirmed cases in Athens stood at 14 as of noon Tuesday. Athens has also now recorded its first death from COVID-19, according to the state’s data.

"We expect it to increase," Carter said. But so far, the escalation in Athens is behind what some other communities have seen.

"We all hope we can flatten some of that climb," he said.

Both hospitals have stopped hospital visitation, with some exceptions such as end of life.