CHEMED releases the following statement to TLS:

CHEMED, together with the other physician practices of Lakewood and many of the healthcare stakeholders will be meeting tomorrow to coordinate a joint statement to give clarity to the community on the best medical advice in the light of the Corona /COVID-19 pandemic.

There are at present many rumors going around town and therefore CHEMED would like to give some clarity to the situation, although this should not be viewed as a formal statement of advice, which will be given jointly tomorrow after the meeting.

Lakewood, like any other community, is at risk of coronavirus spread and of having positive cases.  At this time there are no positive cases in Lakewood, however, we believe it is only a matter of time before we have proven positive cases. CHEMED has seen several patients, in their isolation units, who have presented with flu like symptoms who have had direct exposure to a COVID-19 positive patient.

While we await final results of the testing, the interim advice to the community is not to panic but to be vigilant.

Anyone who is sick is advised to stay home and call their medical provider.  Do not go near anyone who is sick and avoid hand shaking.  Remember to wash your hand frequently or use hand sanitizer.

CHEMED has created 3 isolation areas to safely evaluate any possible cases and has a limited supply of test kits.  Due to the limited supply CHEMED is not able at present to test everyone  and is only testing pertinent cases.   We hope that the community keeps safe and well.