Three staff test positive for Covid-19 at Altnagelvin Hospital
Three staff members at Altnagelvin Hospital in Londonderry have tested positive for Covid-19 and another 15 are off work and isolating as a precaution amid an outbreak on Ward 40 of the hospital.
According to the Western Health Trust, all 23 patients on the ward have been tested and none has received a positive result.
Dr Bob Brown, Director of Primary Care and Older Peoples’ Services, said: “The trust is taking all the necessary infection prevention and control measures to protect our patients and staff, and the Department of Health and Public Health Agency have been informed of the situation.”
It comes after it emerged 10 ambulance staff at Craigavon have tested positive for the virus and a further six have also been advised to self-isolate.
It has been reported that the 10 who tested positive had recently been involved in a golf trip to the Republic of Ireland.
Michael Bloomfield, Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said they are in contact with the workers who tested positive and ensuring they receive support.
He said it happened almost two weeks ago and he hopes to see the staff returning to work soon after completing their self-isolating periods.
Mr Bloomfield said none of their staff who tested positive for the virus became seriously ill.
"Craigavon station has approximately 60 staff, so there were a total of 15 people who were on this trip - 12 of them were ambulance staff,” he told the BBC.
“Ten of those have tested positive, two of them have not tested positive.”
Mr Bloomfield added: “It is a considerable proportion of the staff in Craigavon station.
“They’re not all staff who provide the emergency ambulance response. These staff provide a number of roles, including our non-emergency transport.
“Our internal review has established this was a community transmission, it was not contracted through work.”
Investigations are ongoing following outbreaks at two hospitals in the Southern Health Trust.
Six deaths have been linked with cases at the haematology ward in Craigavon Area Hospital.
Five patients have died following a spate of cases at the male medical ward at Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry.
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