Cairns Hospital pathology lab closes after staff member tests positive to pandemic coronavirus
The Cairns Hospital pathology laboratory has been closed for cleaning after a staff member tested positive to the pandemic coronavirus.
QLD Coronavirus News
Don't miss out on the headlines from QLD Coronavirus News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A STAFF member at the Cairns Hospital pathology laboratory is among six new cases of pandemic coronavirus in Queensland, taking the number of confirmed infections in the state to 1007.
Other laboratory workers who had contact with the infected staff member have had to go into 14 days’ quarantine and are being tested for the new virus, with results expected in 24 hours.
The laboratory will undergo deep cleaning before it can reopen, a process that is expected to take about two days.
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said hospital pathology samples would be sent to private laboratories in Cairns for testing and to Queensland Health labs in Brisbane and Townsville until the Cairns Hospital laboratory can reopen.
Dr Young said the infected laboratory worker was believed to have had contact with a confirmed case of the pandemic coronavirus who had visited the Cairns Hospital pathology lab.
It is not believe the laboratory assistant, who is in isolation, contracted the virus as a result of handling specimens.
“There is no risk to any of the patients at the Cairns Hospital,” Dr Young said. “This is confined to the laboratory.”
Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles said pathology staff would be deployed from Brisbane to Cairns to relieve those who were required to go into quarantine.
Mr Miles said the situation was a reminder that the heroes of the COVID-19 effort were not confined to doctors and nurses,
“It’s the scientists, the pathology workers, the cleaners who will clean this lab, who are also vital to this effort,” he said. “I want to thank them for all of their work.”
Earlier this month, eight Ipswich Hospital laboratory staff had to go into quarantine after an engineer contracted to perform work in the lab tested positive to the new virus.
Australian-first dual vaccine to win over the hesitant, compromised
A combined Covid-19 and influenza vaccine is being trialled in Queensland in the hope it will protect people who otherwise cannot have, or are hesitant about, another type.
‘The biggest public health threat of our times’
Experts say instances of self harm linked to social media use are at virus epidemic levels, labelling it “the biggest public health threat of our times”.