TORRANCE, Calif. — The Torrance Memorial Medical Center has been oddly quiet since the County of L.A. declared the COVID-19 emergency. Hospital officials said people are avoiding areas where they might contract the virus, but workers here are continuing to be vigilant about cleanliness in keeping with hospital protocol.

One nurse could be seen dutifully wiping down patient charts with disinfecting wipes.

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The hospital's Dr. Eric Milefchik, Chief of Infectious Disease Prevention, wants the public to get the right information at a time where things like social media can make it difficult to know what is real, and conflicting reports can confuse. 

“Number one, by far and away, is that most people who have respiratory symptoms are going to have mild disease even if they have the novel coronavirus and don't actually need to be seen,” said Dr. Milefchik. “It'll be safer for them to stay at home and safer for the community, quite frankly. So, if you're sick, you should stay at home in isolation.” And, of course, call your health care provider. 

Milefchik said shortages in COVID-19 testing kits and lab resources being strained (the LA County Public Health Department can process about 50 tests per day) means health officials need to prioritize who gets tested. 

 

 

“Testing now, as it becomes available, needs to be thought out very carefully,” said Dr. Milefchik. “We've had limited ability to test patients. We've had to call the local health department and present the cases to see if they qualify--that is, travelers from a known endemic area, such as China, Iran, or from Italy. So, there's this case definition of who the county would consider testing. As the virus spreads and we learn of possible local transmission in the area, things are going to change and we're going to want to test more patients.”

Many believe testing can be done at any regular doctor's office, but that's not the case. It has to be conducted in a highly-controlled environment that protects both patient and health worker, and offers the kind of isolation required should the patient be symptomatic or have traveled to endemic areas.

Torrance Memorial Medical Center has not set up a disaster command center yet. It hasn't reached that point, but they are preparing for the future possibility of an expansion of the virus and hold logistical drills so that if patient traffic explodes suddenly, everything will run smoothly and efficiently. 

“Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, I think they've been very responsive and clear in their recommendations,” added Dr. Milefchik. “There is a big effort being mobilized to keep the population safe, to treat the sickest patients, and to protect our health care workers all at the same time.”

Dr. Milefchik has lived through several pandemics over the years and says he is optimistic that we will be able to weather this crisis, as long as everyone gets the right information and continues to do their part in preventing spread of the virus.

COVID-19 has been officially declared a pandemic, the World Health Organization announced Wednesday.

For the latest updates go to: coronavirus.gov