COVID-19 Updates | Graham Regional Medical Center

Frequent handwashing with soap and water or use hand sanitizer.
Wear a mask when in public, especially where it is difficult to practice social distancing such as in stores.
Keep your hands away from your face until after you have cleaned them.

Healthcare workers have been wearing masks for decades to prevent getting or spreading disease. Wearing a mask greatly reduces the spread of droplets that can spread the disease.
A mask does not guarantee that you won’t get COVID-19, but it does reduce the risk of contracting the virus.
Typically, droplets are heavy, travel 3 to 6 feet, and drop to surfaces or the ground. Some of those droplets are so tiny they can remain suspended in the air carrying viruses with them. Wearing a mask makes it very difficult to aerosolize the virus particles.

Young County Public Health Authority, Dr. Pat Martin, has stated, “It depends on what is going on with the individuals. Individuals with mild symptoms may be treated with over the counter medications for symptom management. Patients with moderate to severe symptoms may be treated using oxygen, steroids, respiratory treatments, intravenous fluids, antibiotics, and other medications such as Remdesivir.”

We have multiple protocols in place including:

Screening everyone who enters the hospital, clinic, or wellness center for temperature and symptoms;
Screening our employees twice a shift for temperatures and symptoms;
Requiring universal masking for all who enter including our employees unless exempt for medical reasons;
Limiting the number of people in our lobby and waiting areas;
Arranging for outpatients who are being evaluated for COVID to be seen in separate areas of our campus;
Visitor restrictions are in place to prevent the asymptomatic spread of COVID-19 and now influenza.