Mansfield News Journal: Treating the Flu and Preparing for COVID-19

As Richland County public health officials prepare for COVID-19, the area is also getting hit hard by the flu, with over 530 cases documented in January alone.

With both the flu and COVID-19 continuing to spread throughout the country, hospitals in Richland County are keeping a close eye on the situation, including OhioHealth.

“We are taking many proactive steps to keep patients, associates and physicians safe,” Colin Yoder, senior media relations manager for OhioHealth, told Mansfield News Journal reporter Lou Whitmire.

Some of those steps include screening all patients arriving to emergency departments and urgent cares for typical signs and symptoms of COVID-19, along with relevant travel history. If patients do meet the screening and travel criteria, OhioHealth provides an alert system in their electronic medical records to flag those patients down.

OhioHealth is also using the OhioHealth Emergency Clinical Response Team (ECRT) as first responders who are tasked with the safe care of any patient identified as having met criteria for COVID-19 testing.

In addition to these first responders, OhioHealth also has an infection prevention specialist on call 24/7 to immediately respond to any situation as it comes up.

"OhioHealth is committed to providing a safe environment for patients, associates and physicians,” said Yoder. “We are consistently reassessing the evolving situation, working closely with our public health partners and revising our internal action plans as necessary.”

In the meantime, there are some simple steps you can take to minimize your risk of getting both the flu and COVID-19, including staying away from sick people, avoiding coughing or sneezing in your hands, washing your hands more frequently than normal and avoiding touching your face.

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