Officials with Tift Regional Medical Center (“TRMC”) announced late Friday evening that a second patient received a confirmed positive COVID-19 test result.

The patient is an employee of the health system and is being isolated at home. The patient did not acquire the condition at the hospital through contact with any confirmed cases. Precautions are being made to monitor any other individuals that may have been in contact with the patient.

TRMC officials also announced that they have sent COVID-19 tests to labs for 43 patients. Of the 32 test results received to date, 30 have been negative. The Georgia Department of Public Health has been notified of this positive case.

Based on what we have seen elsewhere, we know that COVID-19 is in the community,” says Dr. David McEachin, Chief Medical Officer. “The confirmation of the second case was only a matter of time, and we expect there will be others. We continue to encourage the community to utilize our hotline before visiting any of our facilities.”

The hotline allows individuals to speak to clinical staff. The number for the hotline is 877-719-5787. This number is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Any person who is exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 is instructed to call the toll-free hotline before they visit a health care facility.

“We will continue to evaluate our procedures and policies to ensure we reduce the spread of COVID-19. We appreciate our team for their dedication to providing the best care possible to our patients during this time,” said Dr. McEachin.