Fulton employee tests positive for COVID-19

FILE: Fulton Medical Center's new manager, Noble Health Corporation, is working to improve the hospital.
FILE: Fulton Medical Center's new manager, Noble Health Corporation, is working to improve the hospital.

A Fulton city employee has tested positive for COVID-19, the city confirmed Wednesday.

This is the first known case among city employees, said Darin Wernig, Fulton's public information officer.

"The person has been quarantined, and possible contacts have been notified," Wernig wrote in an email Wednesday. "All full-time city of Fulton employees are undergoing COVID-19 testing today. We should know the test results on Friday."

He did not respond to questions about when the employee received the positive test result or whether the employee worked at Fulton City Hall.

Fulton Medical Center will conduct the tests on full-time city employees, he said.

"It is a blood test and not the nasal swab," Wernig added. "This test will let the city know if anyone is positive for COVID-19 and also if anyone has had it previously."

Part-time and seasonal city employees are not being tested "due to the time they spend around the other employees," he said.

Wernig said Fulton Medical Center has been helpful in developing the city's testing procedures, and the Callaway County Health Department has aided in developing a plan to respond to the case.

At the moment, Wernig added, the city does not plan to close Fulton City Hall.

"The situation can always changes depending on any new cases," he said.

As of June 11, Callaway County had recorded 33 cases of COVID-19, according to callawaycovid19.com. This new case is not included in that total. Wernig said the Callaway County Health Department employee who usually provides him with updated numbers for the website has been out with an injury since last week.

The CCHD did not respond to a request for comment.