Employee from Life Midmed Hospital tests positive for Covid-19
An employee from the Life Midmed Hospital has tested positive for the Covid-19 virus.
A woman contacted www.mobserver.co.za this morning and asked “that something must be done” because she knows that an employee was tested on Thursday and that it was confirmed this morning that she has the coronavirus.
Later another source called and said that there is also a patient in the isolation area of the hospital.
Mr Hennie Viljoen (Manager, Life Midmed Hospital) just confirmed with a press release that an employee tested positive for the Covid-19 virus and that the necessary notifications to the NICD and Department of Health has been made.
About the patient in isolation he said: “As is standard practice within Life Healthcare and in every medical environment, patient confidentiality remains a high priority and we are not in a position to disclose any patient information other than to the relevant provincial health department in respect of notifiable medical conditions.”
According to Mr Viljoen the safety of their patients, healthcare workers and employees continues to be prioritised. “It is important to note that their facility followed the correct procedures aligned to the NICD guidelines and all their employees and doctors complied with the PPE protocols.”
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Mr Viljoen mentioned that in some instances, there is inadequate information to determine if the infection was community acquired or from exposure within the hospital. “It is important to note that the community transmission of the virus is a national challenge and one which the facility is not immune to.”
He further stated that employees may be exposed to the virus within the community and not be aware that they are a carrier of the virus if asymptomatic (i.e. no symptoms are displayed).
“In any event, Life Healthcare provides assistance to employees who have tested positive. As per the NICD guidelines the individual is in isolation and has received the necessary medical attention following the diagnosis. Contact tracing has been referred to the relevant health authorities.”
Specialists who are experienced and qualified healthcare workers and together with all their clinical healthcare workers, have received training and guidelines around COVID-19 by the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines.
In addition, he also gave the following key safety measures which are in place for the safety of all who enter the hospitals and to limit the spread of infection, in accordance with best practice infection prevention standards:
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•Routine screening of all persons entering their facilities to identify present signs and symptoms of COVID-19 infection to establish the risk of exposure;
•Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) provided to all employees and doctors in line with clinical standards. Employees have been trained on the appropriate use of PPEs;
•Universal masking – all healthcare workers, employees, outsourced services and persons entering/admitted to the facility are required to wear a mask at all times;
•Social distancing is enforced throughout all areas of Life Healthcare facilities;
•Only essential access is granted to third party service providers and supplier representatives;
•Restricted visiting hours and access to all Life Healthcare facilities;
•Environmental cleaning according to infection prevention standards; surfaces are regularly disinfected;
•Individual risk assessments are conducted on any exposed personnel to guide the prevention of transmission.
•Physical transparent barriers for front-line staff like the reception and the pharmacy.
“It is absolutely essential that everyone takes measures advised by government to protect themselves and others from being infected by the virus.
“We appeal to the media to assist the community you serve with extensive knowledge on the Coronavirus, how it spreads and how infection can be prevented.”
The information is available on the Department of Health website at:
And the NICD website at:
https://www.nicd.ac.za/diseases-a-z-index/covid-19/advice-forthe-public/
•The following was also included in the press release:
Working definitions:
Quarantine
Quarantine is for people or groups who are asymptomatic, but who may be infected with COVID-19. Quarantine keeps these people away from others so they do not unknowingly infect anyone.
Because some quarantined people might be Covid-19 positive (or might become positive during the quarantine period), individuals in quarantine facilities must be kept under individual quarantine (self-quarantine) within the facility. Those who develop symptoms (meet the person-under- investigation (PUI) criteria) should be tested and managed appropriately.
Quarantine may be applied in different ways during the course of the Coronavirus epidemic. Currently quarantine is applied to:
An individual or group of persons who were in close contact with a person infected with Coronavirus;
Persons at high risk of having been exposed during international travel;
Symptomatic persons who have been identified as requiring testing or who have tested, but are awaiting test results. These persons can be discharged if they test negative.
•Mr Viljoen asked that we attribute Dr Charl van Loggerenberg, General Manager: Emergency Medicine, Life Healthcare) for the above mentioned information.
