One of the hospital wards was closed after a staff member returned a positive result to Covid-19 after undergoing routine surveillance testing. The worker is vaccinated, wore full PPE, including face masks and goggles, and worked two shifts on August 11 and 13 while potentially infectious.
Dr Teresa Anderson, Chief Executive, Sydney Local Health District said all close and casual contacts have been identified, and the ward has been thoroughly cleaned and is expected to reopen shortly.
“There have been no further cases identified linked to this staff member,” she said.
“A second ward remains closed after a patient returned a positive result to Covid-19 following a community transmission. The patient was immediately transferred to a dedicated Covid-19 ward at Concord Hospital. Five additional patients in the ward were subsequently diagnosed with Covid-19 and transferred to Concord Hospital.
“As a precaution, the ward remains closed to new admissions to ensure no further transmission occurs.”
Canterbury Hospital staff have now vaccinated more than 10,000 people against Covid-19, in addition to running a 24-hour a day Covid-19 testing site, which saw more than 1200 people swabbed in the past 24 hours.
The RSPCA at Yagoona also remains closed while contract tracers investigate a case that may have originated at the centre.
