A MultiCare employee who works at the Spokane Internal Medicine Clinic in Spokane Valley tested positive for COVID-19 Thursday afternoon, according to the health care organization.

The Spokane Regional Health District confirmed four new cases Thursday afternoon – bringing the local total to nine – but the MultiCare employee was not counted among those cases pending confirmation of the test result, according to health district spokesperson Kelli Hawkins.

MultiCare is working to contact all patients who may have come into contact with the employee and will ask them to monitor themselves for symptoms of respiratory illness, according to a news release. Anyone who has symptoms will be offered testing.

The health care organization said it would clean and disinfect the entire Spokane Valley clinic at 1215 N. McDonald Road before any patient visits. The employee’s colleagues will also be monitored for symptoms.

“We know that we are in an unprecedented time and we are doing all possible to keep both patients and employees safe,” MultiCare spokesperson George Hampton said in a statement. “We feel for any patients or employees affected. We are grateful to our employees who work on the front lines of this health emergency.”

MultiCare had been encouraging virtual visits for people experiencing symptoms of respiratory illness and announced Thursday new restrictions for visiting patients.

Editor’s note: This story originally was posted with a picture of MultiCare Valley Hospital. The MultiCare employee who tested positive works at Spokane Internal Medicine Clinic in Spokane Valley, not the hospital.