MAURY COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — The owner of a Maury County medical clinic is urging people with Coronavirus symptoms not to come to his office.
Instead he is taking tests directly to people's homes.
Nurse Practitioner Chandler Anderson is telling people in Maury county to take the virus seriously and is concerned that many are not practicing social distancing.
"People are not following social distancing and staying in their homes," Anderson said.
Anderson is especially concerned about young people ages 21 to 30.
That age group has seen a dramatic increase in the number of the Coronavirus cases.
A note on the door of Anderson's Maury County walk-in clinic tells people with Coronavirus symptoms not to come inside.
He wants them to call his cell phone instead.
"We don't want people who suspect they have COVID-19 to come into the office because they contaminate everybody," Anderson said.
He had hoped Maury County would have drive through testing centers by now, and he is frustrated the state has not tested more people.
"They had really, really strict criteria that were actually excluding people who needed testing, so thankfully private companies came through and now we are able to use them," Anderson said.
Anderson now has a limited number of tests, and he is taking those tests directly to people's homes.
He said the longer people go without testing the longer they will continue infecting others.
"We have been able to isolate people who potentially have it, and prevent them from contaminating others," Anderson said.
He has identified two people who tested positive for the Coronavirus.
But the lack of protective medical equipment makes doing the tests even harder.
Anderson wears a PVC suit instead of medical scrubs - which he disinfects after every visit.
He has repeatedly tried to order new masks, but he's been told they will come in a later shipments.
"We've had to be innovative to figure out how maintain these barriers without using traditional gear,"
He's done around ten tests so far and gets results through a private lab in Huntsville lab in about a day.
The two who tested positive had traveled out of state and are recovering.
He said the key to getting this under control is more testing and people staying isolated.
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COUNTY-BY-COUNTY CASES IN TENNESSEE
What is COVID-19 (a.k.a. the new coronavirus?)
According to the World Health Organization, coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases. Examples include the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV)and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. COVID-19 stands for "Coronavirus disease 2019," which is when this strain of the coronavirus was discovered.
What are the symptoms?
The CDC says patients confirmed to have the 2019-nCoV reportedly had mild to severe respiratory illness with:
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Or at least two of the following symptoms:
- Fever
- Chills
- Repeated shaking with chills
- Muscle pain
- Headache
- Sore throat
- New loss of taste or smell
At this time, the CDC believes symptoms could appear as soon as two days after exposure, or as long as 14 days.
Prevention
The CDC is recommending "common sense" measures such as:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
