VA moving patients from NOLA to Biloxi due to coronavirus. They don’t know how many.
Some veterans being treated at the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in New Orleans will be moved to the Biloxi campus as the novel coronavirus pandemic spreads across the United States.
Patients will be moved from the New Orleans Medical Center to the hospital at the Biloxi VA to ease the caseload in the Crescent City, officials told the Sun Herald this week.
The patients will be transported to Biloxi by ambulance, said Jessica Jacobsen, Director of the Dallas regional office of public affairs for the VA.
Bruce Cummins, VA public affairs specialist, said veterans coming to Biloxi are “non COVID-19 patients.” It’s not clear if any of the patients marked for transit have been tested for coronavirus.
The VA does not know how many patients are coming from New Orleans to the Coast.
“Exact numbers are not available, because it will be on an as-needed basis,” Jacobsen said in an email.
About 22% of coronavirus cases related to the VA are in New Orleans, based on figures released Friday, with 14 inpatient and 113 outpatient COVID-19 cases.
New Orleans had more confirmed cases than any other VA hospital in the U.S. as of Friday, according to their website.
There have been no reported coronavirus cases at the VA in Biloxi. The hospital is following CDC guidelines for intake precautions. On Friday, the Mississippi State Department of Health reported 579 COVID-19 cases in the state with 8 deaths.
“VA is screening Veterans and staff who present with symptoms of fever, cough, and shortness of breath who meet the CDC criteria for evaluation of COVID-19 infection,” Jacobsen said in an email. “Per CDC guidance and VA protocols, patients known to be at risk for a COVID-19 infection are immediately isolated to prevent potential spread to others.”
A no-visitor policy has been adopted at the Biloxi VA hospital, effective immediately, Jacobsen said.
- Only one family member or caregiver may accompany veterans for appointments, surgeries, or support vets in hospice care.
- Access will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
This story was originally published March 27, 2020 at 5:11 PM.
