Hospitals, county update public on COVID-19 response

The teams at Ascension Lourdes, UHS and the Broome County Health Department are working very hard to protect lives in our region, with our shared goals being the safety and well-being of our community, our patients and our employees.

We want to provide the community with important information on testing for and treatment of COVID - 19 to create a better understanding of how we are protecting and managing the health of those in our community.

According to the CDC, there is no specific treatment for COVID-19 currently available. Clinical management of COVID-19 includes prompt implementation of recommended infection prevention and control measures and supportive management of complications.This means this can only be treated by managing symptoms and closely monitoring any pre-existing conditions. Most people have mild illness and are able to recover at home.

Testing results may be helpful to inform decision-making about who you come in contact with and provide data to health officials to help monitor community spread, but it will not change a person’s treatment protocol. Again, according to the CDC, no specific treatment for COVID-19 is currently available.

Since our area has limited COVID-19 testing supplies and not everyone needs to be tested for COVID-19 we are limiting testing to only our most acutely ill patients, such as those with significant respiratory issues or serious pre-existing conditions and healthcare workers.

Social distancing and self-isolation are crucially important in slowing the spread and preventing many other people from becoming infected by COVID-19, including the elderly and those with conditions that put them at greater risk of complications from COVID-19.