NBC4: OhioHealth Discusses Systemwide COVID-19 Preparedness

With testing for new COVID-19 cases continuing throughout the country, OhioHealth is reviewing and bolstering its plans since the virus has hit Ohio.

As with any other infectious disease, doctors and nurses are taking the issue very seriously, with medical staff on constant standby in case of an emergency.

Rather than being frightened by the situation, Bruce Vanderhoff, MD, OhioHealth senior vice president and chief medical officer, recommends doing everything you can to be prepared instead.

“I think that we should be prepared,” Dr. Vanderhoff told NBC4 reporter Rob Sneed in late January. “I really don’t think that we should be scared. This is something to take seriously, but we should also be taking the flu seriously every year. The fact is thousands of people die every year from the flu, and we don’t get anxious or worried about it.”

COVID-19 prevention is similar to flu prevention, in that you should be washing your hands, keeping yourself away from sick people and staying home if you are sick.

OhioHealth has a team of infection prevention specialists who are working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) to monitor the situation and track the rise of other new infectious diseases.

As new cases reach Ohio, infected individuals will be placed in isolation, before being tested and treated. If an outbreak does occur, OhioHealth has the space and staff to help.