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Emory Healthcare has admitted its first patient to test positive for COVID-19, according to a March 10 statement. The statement did not provide information about the patient or which hospital the patient is being treated at, citing federal privacy regulations.
The statement, sent by Communications Coordinator for Woodruff Health Sciences Center Catherine Morrow, says that Emory Healthcare is “fully prepared and equipped to treat [patients]” who require hospital care.
“The Coronavirus situation remains fluid and we are prepared to see more admissions and ambulatory visits moving forward,” the statement reads. “For patients who test presumptive positive, depending on their condition, they may or may not remain in the hospital.”
Patients who test presumptive positive may also be placed in home quarantine in coordination with the Georgia Department of Public Health. As of Tuesday night, there were currently 6 confirmed and 11 presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 in Georgia, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. Two presumptive cases are in DeKalb County.
The University has not released an official plan regarding class suspension or a transition to virtual course instruction.
On March 5, the University sent a travel advisory to all students stating that students returning from Italy, South Korea, China and other Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Level 3 classified countries must self-quarantine themselves for two weeks before returning to campus.
As of March 10, major American universities such as Stanford University (Calif.), New York University, the University of Washington, Harvard University (Mass.) and Ohio State University have moved to virtual course instruction formats in response to the outbreak.
