Coronavirus fears may be responsible, in part, for a major reduction in patient flow at Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital’s Emergency Department. The Medical Director of the department, Doctor Joe Britton, says volume is 40-percent below normal…

Hospital CEO, Doctor Brian Evans, stated recently that they’ve only treated a handful of COVID-19 patients. But Britton says residents have been responsive to the hospital’s concerns about more testing resulting in a spike at the ER….

Britton says another possible reason volume has been low is people are concerned about getting infected, although the hospital makes sure there’s a good separation between anyone with coronavirus symptoms and people with unrelated health issues.