One more COVID-19 death has been reported to the state by Phoebe as a substantial number of test results came back late Wednesday and Thursday morning.  The two additional deaths included one patient being cared for in Phoebe’s main hospital and one who expired before arriving at the main emergency center and was tested post-mortem.

As of noon Thursday, these were all Phoebe-related COVID-19 test results:

Total Positive Results – 43

Total Positive Deaths – 4

Total Positive Patients in Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital – 19

Total Positive Patients at Home – 21

Total Inpatients Awaiting Test Results at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital – 58

Total Inpatients Awaiting Test Results at Phoebe Sumter Medical Center – 5

Total Inpatients Awaiting Test Results at Phoebe Worth Medical Center – 1

Total Patients Awaiting Test Results at Home – 424

“We know we are not yet at the peak of this health emergency.  More of the patients we are currently caring for will end up with positive COVID-19 tests, and more people in the community will contract the virus.  We remain at a critical point, and we need the public to follow the guidance of the experts and do all they can to try to minimize the spread of the virus,” said Steven Kitchen, Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital Chief Medical Officer.

So far, six employees have tested positive.  Not all of them were exposed to COVID-19 on the job.  One of those employees is being treated at Phoebe’s main hospital, and the remainder are recovering at home.  Phoebe is reaching out daily to all employees who have been tested for COVID-19 to see how they’re doing.  “We are committed to keeping our physicians and employees safe throughout this health emergency.  If they are not protected, then who is going to care for our patients?  This has to be our top priority,” said Scott Steiner, Phoebe Putney Health System Chief Executive Officer. 

Finding enough supplies remains a daily struggle.  Phoebe continues to track the use of those supplies in real time.  “Every day, we know exactly how many units of each of these critical supplies we have, we know our daily usage rate, and we know how many days on hand we have left.  We’ve gotten down as low as a day or two worth of supplies on some vital equipment.  Thankfully, we’ve managed to avoid running out, but it takes constant work, literally hour by hour.  We can’t just order from one of our normal suppliers and expect a truck to show up the next day,” Steiner said.