The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The spokesperson for Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) made the following announcement today (December 11) regarding an inpatient confirmed as testing positive for COVID-19:
 
     A 59-year-old female patient attended the Accident and Emergency Department (AED) yesterday morning (December 10) due to fever and headache. A deep throat saliva (DTS) specimen for COVID-19 was collected at the AED and she was admitted to the medical surveillance cubicle. The patient was then transferred to a general cubicle for treatment when the DTS test result was negative. 
 
     In the afternoon of the same day, the ward staff received notification from the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) that the patient had submitted a DTS specimen in a General Out-patient Clinic for testing for COVID-19 on December 8 and the result was positive. QMH immediately transferred the patient to an isolation ward for treatment. She is currently in stable condition.
 
     Upon learning of the patient's test result, the hospital conducted investigation immediately, including the collection of the patient's nasopharyngeal swab and throat swab for further testing for COVID-19, for which the result was positive. Meanwhile, the infection control team traced the healthcare workers and patients who had been in contact with the patient. Six patients who had stayed in the same cubicle in the ward with the patient concerned were identified as close contacts. Among them, five of the patients have been transferred to the hospital's isolation wards and tested negative for COVID-19, while one patient who had already been discharged will be arranged to undergo quarantine.
 
     The confirmed case had not received any high-risk medical procedures during her hospital stay except for taking the nasopharyngeal swab and throat swab for COVID-19 testing. Hospital staff had been wearing appropriate personal protective equipment in accordance with the infection control guidelines while providing treatment and care to the patient. No staff member has been identified as a close contact. The hospital will arrange medical surveillance for all staff members of the ward concerned.
 
     The hospital has stopped admitting patients to the cubicle concerned and thorough disinfection has been arranged. The hospital will continue to closely monitor the health of the patients and staff and communicate with the CHP on the latest progress.

Ends/Friday, December 11, 2020
Issued at HKT 18:55

NNNN