(KLZA)-- Richardson County has it's first confirmed case of COVID-19.  

Community Medical Center in Falls City said in a news release Wednesday afternoon, the person was tested after presenting themselves to the emergency department.

The person is under the care of a medical practitioner and is quarantining at home.

The Southeast District Health Department is working on contact investigations and will assess the risk for potential exposures. 

All identified close contacts will likely be asked to self-quarantine. 

You can see the complete release from CMC below:

A patient in the Falls City community has tested positive for COVID-19. They were tested after presenting to the hospital emergency department and are under care of a medical practitioner. We are not able to share the patient’s name or any information about the patient. Additional information, if any, may be provided through the Southeast District Health Department. Their press releases are posted at sedhd.org/press-releases.

Trained staff from the Health Department are working with the patient to identify how the patient was exposed and to trace contact the patient may have had with others in the community. They will contact individuals identified for risk of exposure and provide recommendations for follow-up actions.

All CMC staff that treated the patient in the hospital, as well as the patient’s primary care practice, have been contacted and are being monitored, as is standard practice even when PPE is used. No staff member is known to have contracted COVID-19. We are following the guidelines of the CDC and DHHS related to potential health care worker COVID-19 exposure.

Hospital infection control and cleaning staff are fully trained and equipped to handle these issues, and there are no concerns for lingering contamination of the treatment area or infection of other patients. Situations like this are why hospitals exist. Examples of infection control measures include negative air-flow rooms for treatment, HEPA filters for air, use of PPE by staff, thorough cleaning with sanitizing chemicals, removal of potentially contaminated cloth and paper items, and application of the hospital’s medical grade disinfecting UV light system.

It is natural for community members to be concerned. Those concerned about potential exposure should contact their primary care practitioner or the State DHHS COVID-19 Hotline at 402 552-6645. The hospital requires a practitioner order to conduct COVID testing. Alternately, the National Guard is hosting a COVID testing clinic for those with or without symptoms at the Fire Hall in Humboldt on Thursday, May 14. It is first-come, first-serve but participants must register in advance at https://is.gd/covidtest. No practitioner order is required for the National Guard testing, but tests are limited to the first 200 patients.

Since COVID-19 is often passed to others before an infected person experiences symptoms (or without every showing symptoms), we recommend limiting unnecessary community contact, washing hands frequently, staying home when sick, wearing a mask when in public, and being especially careful around community members at highest risk from the disease.