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REDUCED CAPACITY: Hammerfest Hospital only accepts emergency patients from local municipalities, as 120 employees are in quarantine due to corona infection. Photo: Finnmark Hospital
120 employees are in quarantine after 12 employees were confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus at Hammerfest Hospital. The capacity of the hospital has been considerably reduced.
– So far, 12 Hammerfest Hospital employees have tested positive for covid-19. Up to 120 employees have been defined as close contacts and quarantined, says director Siri Tau Ursin at Finnmark Hospital in an update Sunday.
She says the first cases of infection were detected on Thursday and that even then she realized they needed help from outside.
According to the director, the entire “Health North family” has assisted with personnel and equipment so that key personnel have been replaced.
– Those who stay and run the hospital for us make an effort that is to be affectionate in the heart of, says the director of the hospital.
Postpone operations
Although key roles have been replaced, operations at the hospital have been drastically reduced as a result of the outbreak, stresses medical director Harald Gunnar Sunde.
– The children’s department works as before. Maternity will also be able to give birth at Hammerfest, but they should contact the department before departure so we’re sure we have capacity, he says.
The cancer room is not affected either.
– For other departments, surgery, orthopedics, internal medicine and gynecology, patients are sent to other places as far as possible. However, Hammerfest is still open for emergency consultations and hospitalizations of people in the local municipalities, Hammerfest, Kvalsund and Målsøy.
He says patients from other locations will be sent to Alta, Kirkenes or UNN in Tromsø depending on the individual patient’s situation.
Those who have an appointment at an outpatient clinic this week or the following week: Some will be informed that the appointment has been postponed, some will be notified that the appointment has been moved to another location. They will be called, says the head of the department.
Still runs infection tracking
Anne Mette Asfeldt, chief adviser doctor for infection control, says that all patients who are now in the hospital and being discharged will be screened based on whether they define themselves as close contacts or not.
– If they meet the criteria for close contact, they must complete the quarantine when they are out of the hospital, either at home or in any other health institution. We think we have pretty good control, he says.
Additionally, it says that everyone who defines themselves as close contacts undergoes coronavirus testing to identify a secondary infection as quickly as possible.
– Then we can consider whether we need to do a new infection tracking ring, says Asfeldt.
She says they are expecting another nine test results on Sunday. The so-called “bulk tests” have not yet been implemented.
