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A total of 19 Helse Bergen employees have been infected in a short time. Both Health Director Bjørn Guldvog and NIPH Director Camilla Stoltenberg say it’s serious.
The first seven cases of infection were recorded over a weekend and were divided into six different departments, clinics or divisions. Haukeland University Hospital CEO E claim Hansen tells Dagbladet that the latest reported cases have been close contacts of the first.
– This is not an outbreak at Haukeland University Hospital. The cases likely stem from outbreaks in student communities, Hansen tells Dagbladet and continues:
– It is very worrying when the infection is admitted to the hospital, since it can be contagious to patients who are being treated for other reasons. It is also concerning because many employees may become infected or self-quarantined, and because patient services in some wards are breaking down.
Could have been critical
Hospital director Hansen says good compliance with infection control councils is the reason why only 140 of a total of 13,000 employees have been quarantined.
– We have been concerned about a burgeoning infection within the hospital, and it could have quickly become critical if the 140 who have been quarantined had worked in the same department. Fortunately, we are not there that we have had to reduce activity in an apartment due to covid-19.
Coronatoppene
NTNU professor of social medicine Steinar Westin addressed the hospital infection earlier this week.
– Now we have seen cases of infection both at Haukeland University Hospital and St. Olav Hospital. Infection in hospitals is serious, not only for patients, but also because many of the employees must be in quarantine. It is devastating to the operation of hospitals, Westin told Dagbladet.
Dagbladet has asked both National Institute of Public Health Director Camilla Stoltenberg and Health Director Bjørn Guldvog what they think about the infection reaching the hospital.
– It is always very serious, and my clear impression is that the health trusts and the Bergen municipality have taken it seriously. We have very close contact with both the Bergen municipality and the hospital, and we give them advice, Stoltenberg tells Dagbladet.
– It is a serious situation and we see that hospitals take very serious measures, such as putting employees in quarantine. It is a very high priority to avoid infection in hospitals and health institutions, Guldvog tells Dagbladet.
Completely necessary
On Tuesday, the Bergen Municipality introduced new intervention measures to prevent the spread of the infection originating from a local outbreak in student settings, especially students at the Norwegian School of Management (NHH). In recent days, there have also been cases in Bergen that cannot be traced back to student communities.
The municipalities introduced, among other things, a recommendation on bandages in public transport, restrictions on both public events and private meetings, a list of requirements in restaurants and restrictions on visits to municipal health institutions.
Health Minister Bent Høie tells Dagbladet that the hospital infection made it absolutely necessary to introduce measures in the municipality of Bergen.
– This is precisely the basis of the discomfort that we have about the infection situation in Bergen in particular, because it may be a sign that there is a more generalized infection in Bergen. Therefore, it was absolutely necessary for the Bergen city council to introduce measures, Høie tells Dagbladet.
Spread of infection
Previously, it has been seen that health institutions have had problems related to the transfer of employees to various rooms, thus contributing to the spread of the infection.
– There will be some working groups in the hospital that will move between departments. Some doctors move, for example, between the emergency room and the outpatient ward or clinic. This is part of the organization of a hospital. There may also be employees who have percentages of work in various departments, says the director of the Hansen hospital.
He describes the spread of the infection in Bergen as disturbing.
– The burden for the hospital when it comes to hospitalized patients with covid-19 is not that great as we only have one patient with covid-19 admitted. The spread of the infection among the population in the Bergen area, on the other hand, is concerning, says Hansen, noting that the situation could quickly have been completely different.
