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"She knows everything. All these years she has been involved with the hospital, she just knows what to do."

Hospital Staffer in Mariposa Tests Positive for COVID-19

MARIPOSA — A John C. Fremont Healthcare District clinical staff member with patient contact has tested positive for COVID-19 — the first case of a hospital worker testing positive.

“This individual is not one of the eight staff members that were potentially exposed from the two positive cases identified at the District earlier in the week,” said a release issued Thursday morning. “Risk of exposure to patients and staff is still considered low at this time. The individual was exposed to the virus outside of their work at the District.”

“Contact tracing took place immediately to patients and staff who may have had contact with this individual. These persons are quarantining at home and managing symptoms until the testing results return,” the release also stated.

To date, Mariposa County has had 21 confirmed cases, with 17 recoveries and one COVID-19 related death.

All Fremont staff, “including the COVID-19 confirmed staff member, have been practicing wearing face masks, washing hands and adhering to social distancing since the pandemic began,” said the release. “In addition, the District has strict sanitation practices.”

The hospital began screening all staff and patients on March 9, monitoring temperatures upon entry. Ewing Wing resident temperatures are being monitored regularly to ensure early identification of COVID-19 related symptoms.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines high risk exposure as contact with an infected person less than six feet away, without a mask, for longer than 15 minutes.

If you visited the hospital between June 13 and June 14 and still have concerns, call 209-966-3631 ext. 5056 to speak with the Quality Assurance staff.

The John C. Fremont Healthcare District Crisis Command Center has been set-up since March 4th. They were meeting daily, until two weeks back, they now meet twice a week to discuss updates released from the CDC, WHO and the Public Health Department.

“Our team has been working diligently to prepare since early March and our top priority is patient care and safety,” said Tom Wilkinson, Covid-19 Incident Commander and chief nursing officer.

“If you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms – fever or chills, cough, congestion, shortness of breath, malaise, fatigue, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headache or diarrhea — contact our clinic at 209-966-3631 and if you have an urgent medical need, call our Emergency Room at 209-966-3631 to advise staff of your arrival and symptoms.”

John C. Fremont Hospital is a 34-bed facility designated by the federal government as a Critical Access Hospital. It has been serving the Mariposa community since 1951.

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