44 Monument Health workers test positive to COVID-19 in one week

 In just one week, 44 Monument Health physicians and caregivers tested positive for coronavirus and 167 caregivers are being monitored for exposure.

More than 60 health care workers tested positive in total for August.

In June, it was only 15 people who tested positive and in July, it was 12.

Based on the recent influxes, Brad Archer, the chief medical officer, said the hospital needs to be prepared for a surge in cases in the next coming weeks.

Archer asked staff to be “extra diligent to protect your personal health” and also asking them to limit their exposure outside of work.

In a statement, Robin Zebroski, Monument Health’s Vice President of Strategic Marketing and Communications, said the 44 healthcare workers who tested positive this week “represents less than 1% of our workforce. This is not a critical situation at this time; however, we’re doing all that we can to protect the health of our teams so that we can care for our communities.”