Princess Margaret Hospital announces inpatient confirmed preliminarily positive for COVID-19
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The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority.

  The spokesman for Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) made the following announcement today (December 3) regarding an inpatient confirmed preliminarily positive for COVID-19:
 
  An 82-year-old female patient with chronic disease was admitted to an isolation ward of the Infectious Disease Centre in PMH on November 14 due to discomfort with sputum retention. She presented with fever and shortness of breath upon admission. A COVID-19 test was arranged on the same day and the result was negative. She was transferred to a medical ward in PMH on November 16 for further management and was transferred to another medical ward of Lai King Building of PMH on November 27 for rehabilitation. The hospital arranged the patient to undergo another COVID-19 test for discharge planning on December 2 and her test result was positive. The patient was immediately transferred to the isolation ward for treatment and is now in stable condition.
 
  According to prevailing guidelines, the hospital's infection control team conducted contact tracing. A total of 33 patients who had stayed in the same cubicle of the medical wards with the preliminary positive case are classified as close contacts. Four of the patients passed away due to their underlying diseases. Fourteen in-patients of PMH and one patient staying in North Lantau Hospital have been isolated and arranged for COVID-19 tests. All of their results are negative. The hospital has also informed the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) for following up the 14 discharged patients. The preliminary positive case had not been in the same cubicle with the COVID-19 confirmed case during her stay in the hospital. PMH will cooperate with the CHP to investigate the source of infection.
 
  Meanwhile, 10 healthcare workers who had performed aerosol-generating procedure for the patient without appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) are classified as close contacts and will be quarantined for 14 days. As a precautionary measure, 24 staff members have been classified as other contacts so far and will be under medical surveillance. The hospital is arranging COVID-19 tests for the colleagues concerned, while contact tracing will continue. All healthcare workers are reminded to wear full PPE when performing high-risk medical procedures in the hospital.
 
  The hospital has arranged thorough cleaning and disinfection of the wards concerned. Admission and discharge arrangements of two medical wards concerned have also been suspended. The hospital would continue to closely monitor the health of staff and patients, as well as communicating with the CHP about the latest situation.
 

Ends/Thursday, December 3, 2020
Issued at HKT 19:38

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