The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
In response to the media enquiries on the isolation arrangements of confirmed children in public hospitals, the spokesperson for the Hospital Authority (HA) gave the following reply:
In general, confirmed children in stable condition can rest at home. If there is a medical need for hospitalisation, they will be arranged to receive treatment and care in paediatric isolation facilities in public hospitals. If the parents or carers are also confirmed as having COVID-19 and are capable of taking care of the children, the hospital will try to facilitate and arrange for them to stay in the same ward if the situation allows. As for the parents or carers who tested negative for COVID-19, they are not advised to enter the isolation facilities to stay with the patients. Under special circumstances, such as the need for breastfeeding in person, the hospital will consider to adopt special arrangements for individual cases according to the operational situation. Healthcare workers will clearly explain the risk of infection, and the carers will have to sign consent forms and follow the infection control measures and related guidelines.
The HA understands the concern of the parents and carers. However, the paediatric isolation facilities in public hospitals are seriously overloaded due to the sharp increase of confirmed children admitted recently. The HA appeals to the public that hospitals are required to prioritise the beds for other infected children or infants. In case the accompanying arrangements are not feasible, video visiting and phone calls will be arranged having regard to the circumstances. The clinical team will maintain close communication with parents to update the clinical progress of patients so as to reassure them during this period.
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