QEH Laundry department affected by coronavirus cases

Two members of the Laundry Department at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital have tested positive for COVID-19, hospital authorities revealed Thursday.

While a contact tracing exercise revealed 36 primary and secondary contacts from the department linked to the first case, the majority of subsequent tests have been negative.

A QEH statement said: “On Tuesday, July 20, 20 staff members were tested and from these, one primary contact tested positive for COVID-19. The remaining 16 contacts were tested on Wednesday, July 21, and all received negative results. All secondary contacts tested negative, and were allowed to return to work on Thursday, July 22, whilst the primary contacts have been placed into a government-operated quarantine facility. These individuals will be re-tested on Friday, July 23 and allowed to leave quarantine and return to work if they obtain a second negative COVID-19 PCR test result.”

Meanwhile. the operations of the laundry department are continuing with the assistance of relief workers.

The hospital has also given the assurance that a deep clean of the work area and communal spaces used by the individuals has also been conducted.

Today, laundry staff underwent refresher training with the hospital’s Infection Prevention and Control Department on best practices for curbing the spread of COVID-19 at home, in lunch rooms, in social spaces, and whilst carpooling.   

QEH Communications Specialist, Lyn-Marie Deane lauded the department for its vaccination uptake stating that “76 per cent of the laundry’s staff are fully vaccinated, whilst another three per cent are awaiting their second dose.”

She went on to say that based on the department’s strong vaccination record and its adherence to the hospital’s COVID-19 protocols, the laundry department had set a stellar example for other departments at the QEH to follow, as well as the country as a whole.

Deane assured the public that: “The Board, management and staff of the QEH will continue to make every effort to keep staff fully trained and equipped to protect themselves and keep patients safe, as new waves of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to affect the world.”
(BT/PR)