New York man hid coronavirus symptoms to visit wife in maternity ward
A New York man hid his coronavirus symptoms from the hospital so he could visit his wife in a maternity ward. University of Rochester Medical Center officials said on Tuesday that they found about it after the woman displayed symptoms of COVID-19.
According to hospital officials, medical staff learned the man was exposed to the novel coronavirus and was symptomatic after his wife fell ill while at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester. Following the incident last week, the patient and staff who were in contact were informed about possible exposure.
"The couple and their baby were asked to quarantine, pending testing results, to protect the community and were discharged from the hospital," hospital officials said in the statement.
Throughout their stay in the hospital, they were both isolated from other patients in a private room. Staff members without symptoms continued to work while masked, monitoring for symptoms of COVID-19 and having their temperatures checked twice daily.
So far, no involved staff members have tested positive for the virus. One of them developed symptoms and was quarantined at home, but tested negative for COVID-19.
Due to privacy laws, it is unknown whether the father, mother or baby tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Democrat and Chronicle, the newspaper that first broke the story. A hospital spokesperson told the outlet he would not speculate why the husband did not reveal his symptoms.
Hospital officials said they've adjusted visitor restrictions and patient care protocols to "maximize safety for patients and staff." Among them, all providers, staff, visitors are now required to wear masks to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo updated its hospital safety guidelines over the weekend so that pregnant woman would not have to give birth alone. Partners can now accompany them in the delivery room.