As cases of COVID-19 — the novel 2019 coronavirus — continue to grow both in the United States and abroad, University of Florida Health is closely monitoring the evolving situation and wants area residents to know healthcare providers are ready to respond appropriately should local patients develop symptoms of the disease.
“To date, to the best of our knowledge, no patients have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, at UF Health Leesburg Hospital, UF Health The Villages Hospital or anywhere else in Lake or Sumter counties,” said Don Henderson, CEO of UF Health Central Florida. “Both hospitals have implemented extensive policies and procedures to counter the threat of COVID-19. These include separating patients who present with respiratory illnesses from the general hospital population both at the time of registration and during their hospital stay. If a patient presents to our emergency room with respiratory symptoms, part of the screening process is that we ask if they have traveled internationally or domestically to areas that we know may have an outbreak of COVID-19. If this were to occur, at the discretion of the treating physician, we would work with county and state health officials to order a routine COVID-19 screening test. Additionally, we are working directly with UF Health Shands to greatly increase our capacities to test for COVID-19 by the end of next week.”
Screeners for visitors have been placed in the main lobbies of UF Health Leesburg Hospital and UF Health The Villages Hospital indefinitely. Additionally, public entrances have been limited to help ensure all visitors are properly screened.