Prince of Wales Hospital announces malfunction incident of negative pressure system in isolation facilities

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The spokesperson for Prince of Wales Hospital made the following announcement today (August 12) concerning a malfunction incident of the negative pressure system in its isolation facilities yesterday (August 11):
 
     At around 2.45pm yesterday, the utility power company supply network experienced a voltage dip, which caused an interruption to the mechanical ventilation and air-conditioning (MVAC) system at the Main Clinical Block and Trauma Centre (MCBTC) and the Day Treatment Block and Children Wards (DTB) of the Hospital, leading to a loss of pressurisation in some isolation rooms inside the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), the 11L Paediatric Isolation Ward, the Burns Centre and the 9A Orthopaedic Ward. The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department immediately checked and restarted the MVAC system. The pressure gradients of the isolation rooms concerned in the MCBTC and the DTB returned to normal at around 3.15pm and 3.45pm respectively.
 
     Four confirmed COVID-19 patients were staying in the isolation rooms of the ICU during the period. All staff members in the ward had put on N95 respirators. The doors of the isolation rooms were kept closed and no aerosol generating procedures were conducted during the period. Another four confirmed COVID-19 patients staying in the 11L Paediatric Isolation Ward were transferred to the 11M Paediatric Isolation Ward. All staff members in the wards were wearing appropriate personal protective equipment. The infection risk is assessed to be low.
 
     The incident has been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office via the Advance Incident Reporting System.