Keep up to date on the COVID-19 vaccine schedule at the Health System. Read More

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Coronavirus

Coronavirus

Coronaviruses are respiratory viruses named for the crown-like spikes on the surface of the virus. These range from viruses that cause the common cold to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). The latest coronavirus, beleived to have originated in China, is called the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Our infectious disease team and critical care staff are well prepared to address the needs of COVID-19 patients.


Coronavirus Cases Dashboard

Keep up to date by checking our weekly Coronavirus Cases Dashboard, which highlights the number of positive inpatients at the Health System hospitals and positive cases in our coastal counties and for the state of Georgia.

Coronavirus Cases Dashboard


COVID-19 Antibody Therapy Treatment

Vaccines are still the very best way to prevent COVID-19 or to avoid severe illness, hospitalization or death from the virus. However, for those individuals who test positive for coronavirus and have underlying health conditions, Southeast Georgia Health System offers an outpatient monoclonal antibody therapy that may help avoid hospitalization or severe illness.

Regeneron monoclonal antibody therapy (Regeneron infusion) helps the immune system stop COVID-19 from spreading in people with mild to moderate symptoms. The antibodies are synthetic proteins that are manufactured in a lab. The therapy is not new, doctors have long used this treatment to deliver drugs or radioactive substances directly to cancer cells. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given monoclonal antibody therapy emergency use authorization for the treatment of COVID-19. According to the FDA, clinical trials showed that COVID-19 patients who received antibody infusions had a significant reduction in hospitalization and death compared to patients who received a placebo.

The Health System began offering antibody infusions in November 2020 at Glynn Immediate Care Center in Brunswick with a goal to treat as many high-risk patients as possible to prevent symptoms from progressing to severe illness and hospitalization.

In addition to Glynn Immediate Care Center, antibody infusions are currently offered at the Brunswick and Camden Campus Emergency Care Centers

Do You Qualify for Treatment?

Monoclonal antibodies are used to treat mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19 in non-hospitalized adults and adolescents (12 years and older) with a BMI greater than 25. Vaccinated and unvaccinated high-risk individuals can receive antibody infusions if they meet the following criteria:

  • Diagnosed with COVID-19
  • At high risk for severe illness, hospitalization or death
  • Not currently experiencing severe symptoms

Qualified individuals must be evaluated at Glynn Immediate Care Center or in the Brunswick or Camden Campus Emergency Care Centers. There is no cost to the patient for the therapy; however, an administration fee will be filed with the patient’s insurance company.

The spread of coronavirus

Coronavirus is spread by close person-to-person contact. Close contact is defined as being within approximately six feet of another person so that droplets from a cough or sneeze can get into the mouth, nose or lungs. Our infectious disease team follows all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations to handle incidents of coronavirus should they occur, as we do with all infectious diseases.

The latest guidance on COVID-19 is available through the GDPH at its toll-free number, 1-866-PUB-HLTH (1-866-782-4584), its website dph.georgia.gov/novelcoronavirus or through the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website at cdc.gov.

Coronavirus symptoms

The CDC is making a test to determine whether patients have coronavirus. General testing by your health care provider will not identify the COVID-19 strain. Symptoms of coronavirus may appear in as few as two days or in as many as 14 days after exposure.

Symptoms can include:

  • Fever
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath

But these symptoms do not necessarily mean you have the illness. The symptoms are similar to other illnesses that are much more common, such as cold and flu.

It's very unlikely you will contract coronavirus if:

  • you have not been in close contact with someone with confirmed coronavirus.
  • you have not been to a country or area with a high risk of coronavirus in the last 14 days.

Updated Travel Information

When to call your health care provider?

If you are experiencing the above symptoms (fever, cough or difficulty breathing), and you think you need to be tested for COVID-19, please call your health care provider BEFORE visiting their office. Be sure to inform them of your symptoms and travel history or exposure to a person diagnosed with the virus.

If you do not have a health care provider, please call our COVID Screening Hotline, 912-466-7222, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. We will work with you to determine if you need to be tested and provide you with additional instructions.

When to Call 911

How is Southeast Georgia Health System prepared for the coronavirus?

Our infectious disease team on both our Brunswick and Camden Campus hospitals have the PPE required to safely treat patients with Coronavirus– masks, eye protection, gowns, gloves – specifically designated to treat patients suspected of having an infectious virus. Our hospital team members who provide medical care are trained on guidelines for putting on and taking off PPE. Both our Brunswick and Camden Campus hospitals also have negative pressure rooms that are intended for patient isolation and are designed so air goes inside the room and not out when the door opens thereby containing the virus to that room.

What can you do to avoid the coronavirus?

The best way to prevent illness is to get vaccinated!

The following tips will also help prevent the spread of coronavirus as well as other respiratory viruses:

  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth, especially with unwashed hands.
  • Stay home when you are sick.
  • Cover your cough or sneezes with a tissue or sneeze into your elbow. Throw the tissue in the garbage and make sure to clean your hands afterwards.
  • Avoid close contact with people who are showing symptoms of illness.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Stay informed

For further information regarding the coronavirus, its spread, prevention and travel information, please refer to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Resources

  • Coastal Health District provides answers to some of the frequently asked questions the Health District hears most often from the public, community partners and media.
  • Georgia Department of Public Health has a map and chart showing all the confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Georgia, and any associated deaths. This map/chart is updated Monday-Friday.
  • Georgia Department of Public Health has also added more information and guidance for various populations and groups. If you scroll down the home page you'll see a bunch of links to dig deeper.
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website continues to be our go-to for a lot of good information.
  • The state has recently opened a telephone hotline for COVID-19 questions from the public. That public hotline number is 844-442-2681.
  • World Health Organization is also a wonderful resource for up to date, accurate information.

Information courtesy of Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


Related Documents

Lo que necesita saber sobre: ENFERMEDAD DEL CORONAVIRUS 2019

Cómo evitar la propagación de la: ENFERMEDAD DE CORONAVIRUS 2019

COVID-19 Contact Tracing

Guía provisional para trabajadores agrícolas estacionales y sus empleadores en Georgia
26 de mayo de 2020


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