Florida’s first novel coronavirus patient released from hospital. He lives in Manatee
The patient first diagnosed with the novel coronavirus in Florida has been released from the Doctors Hospital of Sarasota.
State officials announced late Sunday night that a Manatee County man in his 60s, whose name has not been released, had tested “presumptive positive” for the disease, even though he had no history of travel to one of the countries where the outbreak has run rampant. He was released from the hospital Friday afternoon, according to a release.
According to the Florida Department of Health COVID-19 hotline, in order for a patient who has been treated for the novel coronavirus to be released from the hospital, they have to be cleared by a doctor and no longer contagious.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the patient’s symptoms were caused by the COVID-19, the same virus that originated in Wuhan, China. He had been hospitalized since early last week.
According to a release, the hospital is following recommended cleaning standards to protect patients and caregivers. On Monday, Sarasota Military Academy announced that one of the school parents and her son were under quarantine because of “professional” contact with the coronavirus patient.
“We continue to work closely with the Department of Health and the CDC to ensure we are taking appropriate precautions for our patients, caregivers and the community,” the hospital said in a release.
Preventing the spread of the disease has become a priority for several Bradenton-area organizations. The Pittsburgh Pirates recently gave LECOM Park a deep cleaning, the Supervisor of Elections Office says it will keep polling stations as clean as possible and local healthcare facilities have begun screening sick guests from visiting patients in their care.
Anyone who thinks they might be experiencing symptoms of respiratory illness linked to COVID-19, such as coughing, fever and shortness of breath, are asked to contact the 24/7 Florida Department of Health hotline at (866) 779-6121 before visiting a healthcare provider.
This story was originally published March 6, 2020 at 5:07 PM.
