Dr. Tim Alford of Kosciusko, an emergency room doctor at Baptist-Attala, is the second hospital-affiliated doctor to test positive for COVID-19.
In response to an inquiry from The Star-Herald, Alford — the 2018 Mississippi Family Physician of the Year — confirmed this evening via text that he has tested positive and is self-quarantined at home.
“Yes, I have tested positive,” he said in response to the newspaper’s inquiry. “This is no picnic I can tell you. I am probably camped on Day 6. I am hopeful that I am getting better.”
Alford said he and Dr. Gray Wallace — the hospital’s chief of staff and a physician with Premier Medical Group who tested positive last week — are interacting with one another and are being cared for by Kosciusko Medical Clinic staff.
“The Kosciusko Medical Clinic doctors have been very caring and supportive in my case,” he said. “Since Dr. Wallace has this as I do, he and I are free to interact and social distancing between us two is not essential.”
Alford said he is taking recommended medication that Dr. Withers delivered to the Alford home and he is staying apart from his wife, Mary Al. Mary Al, he said, is self-quarantined at home as well, since she may have been exposed prior to Dr. Alford’s diagnosis.
“I am staying in the basement and Mary Al is self-quarantined and I pray she does not get this,” he said.
Alford said the medical community and local government are doing everything they can to prevent the spread of the coronavirus locally.
“The Kosciusko doctors are trying to assess on a daily basis how to position our local resources to handle a large wave of sickness, which is now inevitable,” he said. “Doctors used to inoculate themselves with active disease as a crude form of vaccine. It appears that that has unwittingly happened to Dr. Wallace and myself. I am hopeful that we will get back to work after a staged reentry.”
The emergency room physician said too few people are taking the risk seriously and are not following social distancing protocols.
“Currently, there is still too much of a carnival atmosphere despite local officials’ warnings,” he said. “Mayor Cockroft is taking his cues from our local doctors. He knows what he doesn’t know. He is very concerned for our community and wants to take the right actions.”
Alford urged people to heed the information and warnings provided by Dr. Thomas Dobbs of the Mississippi Department of Health and Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
“In the meantime, businesses need to either expand or contract their hours so that customers are not physically compressed,” he said. “People need to stay home. Call....call...call before going to the ER or to their local provider.”
Asked how he felt about his personal situation becoming public, Alford said that if going public prevents others from contracting this serious illness, it will have been worth it.
“Bottom line, and I am serious, is if this helps people to stay in, then it’s worth it," he said.
