(Potosi, Mo) - Washington County Memorial Hospital in Potosi is on alert after a hospitalist doctor in Potosi was exposed to the coronavirus while at a hospital in Ohio last week. This all happened on Wednesday afternoon the doctor removed herself from patient care when she was notified by the hospital in Ohio that a patient she had cared for therelast Friday had tested positive for coronavirus. She notified administrators in Potosi, and precautions are now in place.
The city of St. Louis is banning events of more than 1,000 people to stop the spread of the coronavirus. This comes after the NCAA tournament that was scheduled to come to town was canceled. Crowds at churches, schools and certain other locations are exempt.
Meanwhile in other states like Kentucky, the governor there is asking all churches large and small to dismiss worship services until further notice, issued an executive order not allowing visitors into places like nursing homes or prisons to protect the populations there, and ordered all K-12 schools in the state to dismiss classes for the next two weeks in an attempt to stop the spread of corona virus.
Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton said at a press conference alongside Gov. Mike DeWine (R) that given that the virus is spreading in the community in Ohio, she estimates at least 1 percent of the population in the state has the virus.
"We know now, just the fact of community spread, says that at least 1 percent, at the very least, 1 percent of our population is carrying this virus in Ohio today," Acton said. "We have 11.7 million people. So the math is over 100,000. So that just gives you a sense of how this virus spreads and is spreading quickly." All Ohio schools have been shut down until further notice.
So far in Missouri, there's no such order from Governor Parson here.
Disney has temporarily closed Disneyland, its California theme park — starting Saturday through the end of the month — because of the coronavirus outbreak. It’s unclear if Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., will remain open.