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INFECTION DETECTION: Finnmark Hospital receives help from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health to track the infection, which has quarantined 89 employees. Photo: Finnmark Hospital
Four patients and 14 employees of Hammerfest Hospital have been confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus. The hospital cannot rule out that patients have been infected in the hospital.
A corona outbreak is currently occurring at Hammerfest, both in the hospital and in the municipality. On Monday night, four patients and 14 hospital staff were confirmed to be infected. This is demonstrated by the latest figures from Finnmark Hospital. 89 employees are in quarantine.
– We cannot say for sure if patients are infected in the hospital, but we cannot rule it out either, says Finnmark Hospital communications manager Eirik Palm.
Palm explains that three of the four patients were hospitalized when they were tested and confirmed that they were infected with COVID-19. The fourth patient was admitted on Monday with covid-19 detected.
For the sake of privacy, Palm does not want to comment on how sick patients are or if they are in the risk group for covid-19.
Must test all employees
Hammerfest Hospital receives assistance from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health with detecting infections and is in the process of testing all hospital employees.
– There are about 550 employees, but many have already been tested. Now we go beyond those who have been close contacts and worked in the same department with testing, says Palm.
Have you discovered any violation of infection control rules in the hospital?
– No, it’s not. And there have been additional rounds to clear that up, Palm says.
Don’t expect more positive tests
In total, there are 18 infected in the municipality of Hammerfest and 157 in quarantine, reports Mayor Marianne Sivertsen Næss before 7 p.m. on Monday. At the time, 12 Hammerfest Hospital employees were registered as infected. Later on Monday, it was reported that 14 employees were confirmed to be infected.
Næss says before 7pm that all close contacts with those who have been confirmed infected have been identified and contacted.
– We have received a lot of test results, and we do not expect responses from someone who has tested themselves due to symptoms or close contact, so we do not expect any more positive tests at this time, says the mayor.
The municipality still maintains a ban on visits to institutions and nursing homes this week and next.
– We do this to protect the most vulnerable until we get a better overview of the situation.
In addition to the municipality following TISK (testing, isolation, infection monitoring and quarantine), the municipality recommends that people maintain a distance of two meters where they have the opportunity to do so.
– Think about who you allow to get closer than two meters, says Mayor Næss.
Canceled scheduled treatments
“Capacity at Hammerfest hospital has been significantly reduced following infection control measures in the last 24 hours,” the hospital wrote in a press release Monday.
Finnmark Hospital is on a yellow alert.
Furthermore, he claims that the hospital has canceled all planned treatments in the near future. Immediate help continues as usual. Several patients have been transferred to Kirkenes Hospital and Klinikk Alta.
Finnmarkssykehuset has received help from UNN, Nordlandssykehuset and Helgelandssykehuset, among others with various doctors and nurses, also indicated in the press release.
