Noble County has its first confirmed case of COVID-19 in a patient that visited multiple Parkview Health clinics before being officially diagnosed with the virus.
The patient visited Parkview’s Kendallville Walk-in Clinic on March 1 and the New Vision Walk-in Clinic in Fort Wayne on March 5. Initially, the patient tested positive for influenza, but when symptoms began to worsen, they returned to the clinic.
Late Sunday evening, they tested positive for the coronavirus. The hospital is still waiting on final confirmation from the Indiana State Department of Health.
Dr. Joshua Klein is the chief medical officer for Parkview Physicians Group. He offers suggestions for anyone who fears they’ve been exposed to the virus.
“Any member of the public who feels any concern that they may have been exposed, we would like to have them self-monitor for 14 days," Klein says.
Klein says self-monitoring would include checking their temperature twice a day and watching for respiratory symptoms, such as a cough or shortness of breath. If they exhibit symptoms and a temperature of 100-point-four or above, Klein says to call a hospital right away.
Both clinics the patient visited have been closed down today for a deep cleaning. All staff and providers for these locations were asked to stay home and will be screened for possible exposure.
Dr. Jeffery Boord, the chief quality officer for Parkview Health, says they were expecting a case of the virus.
“We have actually been preparing for a number of weeks for COVID-19 in our community,” Boord says.
Boord says this preparation has meant ensuring staff is appropriately trained on use of personal protective equipment and monitoring supplies. He says they had protocols in place so once the patient presented with symptoms proper measures were taken.
Boord says the hospital hopes to provide further updates over the next few days as the situation evolves.
