Hilton Head medical clinic closes after COVID-19 exposure. What we know
The Volunteers in Medicine Clinic on Hilton Head Island is temporarily closing after two staff members or volunteers were exposed to COVID-19, according to Dr. Raymond Cox, the clinic’s executive director.
The clinic is closed from Friday to Nov. 27 and plans to reopen Nov. 30, according to a Facebook post from Cox.
Cox wrote that the building will be cleaned and disinfected in that time.
“We are carefully adhering to (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommendations and protocol to ensure the safety of VIM volunteers, patients and staff,” he wrote.
Cox in an interview Friday said the clinic learned of the COVID-19 exposures on Thursday. The clinic has since advised its staff and volunteers to get tested for the coronavirus.
The clinic is also performing contact tracing. “There’s no way to tell you accurately what the source of this was,” at least as of 2:30 p.m. Friday, Cox said.
He stressed, though, that the clinic quickly identified the two people and believes it limited any possible disease spread.
Patients who recently visited the facility should not be concerned, he said.
The clinic, located at 15 North Ridge Drive near U.S. 278, offers services for low-income and uninsured people who live or work on Hilton Head and Daufuskie islands.
Since mid-August, Beaufort County has seen fewer daily infections. But some experts fear a surge of cases as cooler weather sets in and flu season begins.
State health officials are warning of increased disease spread around South Carolina. And Beaufort County logged its highest daily case count since September on Thursday.
The percentage of positive viral tests in the county has also trended upward in recent days.
Cox on Friday urged local residents to continue following public health guidelines, including by wearing a face mask.
“We’re already starting to see increases in cases on the island,” he said.
This story was originally published November 13, 2020 at 1:23 PM.
