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TESTING TALLY
500+ YESTERDAY
By JIM KEVLIN • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com
COOPERSTOWN – More than 500 people experiencing cold- or flu-like symptoms called Bassett Healthcare Network’s Coronavirus Hotline yesterday, spokesman Karen Huxtable-Hooker reports.
With 200 each calling Saturday and Sunday and people continuing to call today, that likely pushes the number over 1,000. The spokesman didn’t immediately have numbers on how many of those people were then referred to testing.
“The system is managing and adjusting daily,” said Huxtable-Hooker. “Incredible work is being done by practitioners, nursing and staff. They have dived in to respond to this as effectively as possible.”
According to a protocol outlined at a press briefing last Friday, callers to the hotline, if warranted, will be asked to go to drive-thru testing tents set up at Bassett facilities for a mouth swab. The next step would be referral to evaluation, which might involve a chest x-ray.
So far, no Coronavius cases have been reported in Otsego County, although one case from Herkimer County is being treated at Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown.
The reason for 1 detected case in Bassett is because they aren’t testing enough people.
Corona is seasonal like flu, you test everyone for flu but not for Corona.
You don’t have enough kit because you didn’t assess the severity of disease and now getting so overwhelmed that you are not testing anyone.
They are waiting for fever and positive contact. How dumb is that. You will have positive contact only if you test.
Plus all the Bassett employee (even non clinical) are working, definitely not flattening the curve.
Feel bad for those employees and ashamed of the leadership!
Hear a lot about healthcare workers; what is being done to provide protection and financial reimbursement for Otsego County’s law enforcement officers who, providing an essential service, put their families at risk daily. Neighboring counties are paying overtime in recognition, don’t know about protections in place. As usual our county reps are well behind in addressing the needs of our law enforcement department. About time they “stepped up” and do what is needed to protect the individuals they represent. Stop being “chickens…cheap, cheap, cheap…we are losing good personnel to other counties as a result; if things continue we will have an ill trained, inferior sheriff’s department.
Marshall – your comments are grossly uninformed and inaccurate.