Virus outbreak hits Joburg’s Mediclinic Morningside

Twelve staff members, including seven healthcare workers, have tested positive for the coronavirus at Mediclinic Morningside in Sandton, the private hospital group has confirmed.

The hospital has now introduced strict access measures, and will disinfect certain areas.

Mediclinic chief clinical officer Dr Stefan Smuts said more than 100 potential contacts were tested after one of its staff members was found to have been infected, adding the 12 employees were currently in isolation.

“[They] will remain so until they are fully recovered. In addition, all contacts are now being monitored and isolation protocols stringently applied where relevant.”

This comes after Netcare St Augustine’s Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal has been closed to all new patients following an outbreak which saw 47 staff members test positive for the virus. Four have died of coronavirus at the private facility, the Netcare group previously said.

Netcare had said 33 of the 47 infected staffers were self-isolating, while the remaining 14 were being “accommodated” at Netcare’s facility “to ensure they are able to safely self-quarantine”.

Process

At Mediclinic, Smuts said the group is trying to identify all staff, doctors and patients who have potentially been exposed. He said the hospital has “established procedures relating to staff exposure, the risk thereof and testing.”

He said the hospital will disinfect areas which are considered to be a risk, and have put in place an access control policy, which will also affect emergency admissions.

“We have implemented HR policies and procedures to address healthcare worker exposure, testing and infection, including the appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in accordance with the NICD and WHO and recently published National Department of Health Infection Prevention and Control guidelines, and as such all staff have been provided with appropriate PPE,” he said.

On Tuesday, the national health department said 2,415 cases have been confirmed countrywide, an increase of 143 compared to the day before.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.