In spite of all efforts to protect the elderly in Government care from the COVID-19 virus, a patient in the Geriatric Hospital tested positive on Thursday morning.
And the chief medical officer and two senior medical officers of health were immediately dispatched to the Jemmotts Road, St Michael facility to meet with the director, gerontologist and staff.
“I will tell you that this particular case had to be a situation where the virus came into the hospital and that is being investigated,” Minister of Health Jeffrey Bostic said during Thursday’s televised COVID-19 management update. “Obviously, if a patient is in the hospital for several years or months, then they would not have had the opportunity to go outside.
“Our hospitals have been impacted by what occurs in the general population and a vast majority of cases are related to contacts within the community and not the hospitals themselves.”
Government had suspended all visits to the Geriatric Hospital for several months to minimise exposure for the elderly. Similarly, measures were put in place at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital which also had ten COVID cases.
Bostic sought to assure those with family in the facility that the situation was under control.
“We are on top of this one in the sense that it is one ward of about 16 persons and then the staff. So far, all of the patients as well as the staff have done a rapid antigen test and all results are negative.”
Swabbing for PCR tests was also being done and staff would be taken to a quarantine hotel once that process was completed. Patients would go to the St Lucy District Hospital for care if negative, but service remained at the Geriatric Hospital, the Minister said. (SAT)