INFECTION DETECTION: Finnmark Hospital receives help from the National Institute of Public Health to track the infection, which has quarantined 89 employees. Photo: Finnmark Hospital
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Four patients and 14 employees at Hammerfest Hospital have been confirmed infected with the coronavirus. The hospital cannot rule out that patients have been infected at the hospital.
A corona outbreak is currently taking place in Hammerfest, both at the hospital and in the municipality. On Monday night, four patients and 14 staff at the hospital were confirmed infected. This is shown by the latest figures from Finnmark Hospital. 89 employees are quarantined.
– We can not say with certainty whether the patients are infected at the hospital, but we can not rule it out either, says communications manager at Finnmark Hospital, 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 wish to comment on how ill the patients are or whether they are in the risk group for covid-19.
Must test all employees
Hammerfest Hospital receives help from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health with infection detection, and is in the process of testing all employees at the hospital.
– There are about 550 employees, but many have already been tested. We now go beyond those who have been close contacts and worked in the same department with the testing, says Palm.
Have you discovered any breaches of infection control rules at the hospital?
– No, it is not. And there have been extra rounds to clarify that, says Palm.
Do not expect more positive tests
In total, there are 18 infected in Hammerfest municipality and 157 in quarantine, mayor Marianne Sivertsen Næss informs before 19 o’clock on Monday. At that time, 12 employees at Hammerfest Hospital were registered as infected. Later Monday, it was reported that 14 employees have been confirmed infected.
Before 19, Næss says that all close contacts to those who have been confirmed infected have been identified and contacted.
– We have received very many test results, and do not wait for answers from someone who has tested themselves due to symptoms or close contact, so we do not expect more positive tests right now, the mayor states.
The municipality still maintains the ban on visits to institutions and nursing homes this and next week.
– 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 tracking and quarantine), the municipality recommends that people keep 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
“The capacity at Hammerfest hospital has been greatly reduced after infection control measures in the last 24 hours,” the hospital wrote in a press release on Monday.
Finnmark Hospital is on yellow alert.
Furthermore, it states that the hospital has canceled all planned treatments in the near future. Immediate help goes as normal. Several patients have been moved to Kirkenes Hospital and Klinikk Alta.
Finnmarkssykehuset has received help from UNN, Nordlandssykehuset and Helgelandssykehuset, among others with several doctors and nurses, it is also stated in the press release.
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