Dr. William Keith Graham, SEMO faculty member among those battling COVID-19

While many COVID-19 patients will battle the disease cloaked in privacy, some will have their situation become more public, by choice or circumstance.

Two such cases are playing out in Cape Girardeau.

One of the Cape Girardeau patients hospitalized with the disease is Dr. William Keith Graham of Cape Girardeau, who is thought to have contracted the virus while on a cruise. Social media posts from his wife, Tammy, indicated the doctor fell ill about a week ago. Tuesday evening, the doctor’s condition seemed “to be stable,” she wrote. Tammy Graham is in quarantine.

Another local case with a public angle involves a Southeast Missouri State University faculty member. According to a release sent out by the university Tuesday afternoon, the unnamed faculty member contracted the virus March 15. The person’s last visit to campus was March 12. The release stated the person is quarantining at home and is under the care of a physician. Local health center personnel have traced contacts and made those people aware of whether to quarantine and self-monitoring measures. The university did not name the faculty member.