Northwest Community Hospital officials issued a statement Monday morning March 2, 2020 that a patient diagnosed with coronavirus infection was in quarantine at the hospital and they are working with state and federal health agencies regarding the patient’s treatment.
The patient, who is the third person in Illinois diagnosed with the Novel coronavirus, is being treated at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights.
Initially on Saturday, February 29, 2020, the public was only informed that an Illinois patient was diagnosed with coronavirus somewhere in suburban Cook County. With the Monday morning statement from Northwest Community Hospital, the age, gender and hometown of the patient were still unknown, but the patient admitted is believed to be a man in his 70s. Additional information from Northwest Community Hospital is expected Monday afternoon in a press conference at 1:00 p.m.
Internally, a letter to medical staff was sent out Saturday, February 29, 2020 that stated the hospital had admitted a patient that tested positive for the Novel Coronavirus and that the hospital was implementing necessary crisis management protocols. The letter stated that infectious disease specialists are working with the Cook County Department of Public Health, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control. The letter also stated that there are many individuals that are affected by this situation, but it wasn’t clear if that meant only many staff members within the hospital were affected.
The public statement from Northwest Community Hospital reported, “NCH is closely following recommended guidelines outlined by these officials. At the moment we are implementing all associated protocols, including an exposure investigation, to identify those who might have had contact with this patient in order to treat them accordingly. Along with this patient, our top priority will remain to keep our staff and community safe at all times.”
Initially, it is unknown how the third Illinois patient was infected.
A Chicago couple were the first and second coronavirus patients in Illinois. They were also the first case of human-to-human transmission in the United States. The man (the second Illinois case/January 30, 2020) contracted the virus from his wife (the first Illinois case who was also the second United States case/January 24, 2020). The man had not recently travelled to China. Both were treated were treated at AMITA Health St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates and released back to their home where their health was monitored daily under the guidance of the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control.
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