The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
Pok Oi Hospital (POH) gives the following response regarding a suspected hospital acquired case of COVID-19 today (April 4):
A 93-year-old male patient with limited mobility was admitted to a Medicine and Geriatric (M&G) ward on 5/F of POH on March 10 because of stroke. He was then transferred to another M&G ward on 8/F on March 28 until he was discharged on April 1. On April 3, the patient was admitted to POH for fever and vomiting. Since he has symptoms of chest infection, he was admitted to a surveillance ward and his nasopharyngeal swab was taken and tested positive for COVID-19. The patient was transferred to Tuen Mun Hospital for isolation and treatment with serious condition.
A team of experts including the Chair of Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology of the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong, Professor Yuen Kwok-yung; Chief Infection Control Officer of Hospital Authority, Dr Raymond Lai, and the experts from the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) paid a visit to POH this afternoon. Records revealed that a 33-year-old male patient who had stayed in the 5/F M&G ward with the index patient between March 17 to 18 was tested positive to COVID-19 on March 27 (Case 455). This patient who was confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 was arranged to stay outside the cubicle of the index patient during hospitalisation. The experts suspected that the virus was transmitted through indirect contact therefore environmental specimen had been collected.
Patient admission has been suspended and deep cleansing has been arranged for the two M&G wards that the patient had stayed. There are 69 male patients and 5 female patients, aged from 21 to 90-year-old have to be quarantined. POH will arrange tests on COVID-19 for them. POH will also arrange COVID-19 testing for the healthcare workers and staff who have been in touch with the index patient. There will be about 150 people according to preliminary counting. Besides, there is one community nurse of POH who have visited the patient's residence on April 2 for nursing procedure including the replacement of nasogastric tubes. The community nurse has been classified as close contact by the CHP and will be sent to quarantine camp.
POH will continue working closely with CHP on this incident.
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