Coronavirus Update: St. Christopher's Hospital For Children Doctor Tests Presumed Positive For COVID-19
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A doctor at Saint Christopher's Hospital for Children has been diagnosed with a presumed coronavirus case, Drexel University officials say. The doctor who is an independent physician with admitting privileges at St. Christopher's was last at the hospital on Feb. 26.
The doctor performed three surgical procedures and did not show any symptoms at the time.
The following day the doctor became symptomatic and has not returned to the hospital since.
The doctor has since recovered and did not require hospitalization.
"On Tuesday, an independent physician with admitting privileges at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children was diagnosed with a presumed case of COVID-19," Drexel said in a letter to the community. "Based on the risk assessment guidelines from both the federal government and the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the risk of exposure to COVID-19 from this individual is low."
Health officials are contacting the patients he has been in contact with.
In Montgomery County, a Children's Hospital of Philadelphia cardiologist doctor at the King of Prussia tested positive. There are four new cases bringing the total in Montgomery County to 13. It's unclear if the new cases are linked to the doctor or a Lower Providence Police Officer who also tested positive.
Most cases have been exposed out of state.
The Pennsylvania Health Department says currently there are 196 patients identified for testing, 100 of those have tested negative for COVID-19 and 19 are presumed positive.
"We anticipate that community spread will occur, community spread has certainly occurred in other countries and community spread had occurred in California, in Washington State, you can see that community spread has occurred in New York, and New York state with the measures they have taken so we anticipate that," Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said.
There are currently 21 presumed positive COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania.
Twenty-three people have been diagnosed with the coronavirus in New Jersey, which includes two people who likely got sick from what's known as "community spread."
And in Delaware, there were three additional cases, bringing the total to four. All are associated with a University of Delaware professor who tested presumptive positive.
CBS3's Stephanie Stahl contributed to this report.
