Doctor at St George Hospital tests positive for coronavirus
A doctor at a major public hospital in Sydney has tested positive for coronavirus after experiencing symptoms of the deadly virus and seeking an assessment at a COVID-19 clinic.
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A doctor at St George Hospital in Sydney’s south has tested positive for coronavirus as numbers of confirmed cases inch upwards across the state.
A spokeswoman for South Easter Sydney Local Health District confirmed the hospital employee tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday night.
“Health screening is carried out on all healthcare workers at the start of each shift and the
healthcare worker did not work while unwell,” the spokeswoman said.
“At the first sign of symptoms, the healthcare worker immediately presented to a COVID-19/ Flu Assessment Clinic for testing.”
The spokeswoman said there was no ongoing risk to patients or staff, and there had been no impact on the public hospital’s services.
“All close contacts of the healthcare worker, including staff and patients, have been
identified and isolated,” the spokeswoman said.
“SESLHD has strict contact tracing and screening procedures in place for confirmed COVID-19 cases and their contacts.”
The SESLHD would not provide information on how many contacts were affected by the doctor’s diagnosis due to patient confidentiality.
The doctor is now the second healthcare worker at St George Hospital to contract coronavirus since the pandemic broke out in earnest.
The SESLHD confirmed a midwife at St George Hospital had tested positive for COVID-19 on March 25.
“All patients that were in close contact with the midwife have been informed,” the spokeswoman said at the time.
“The midwife is now in isolation and there is no ongoing risk to patients at St George Hospital.”
The Georges River Council area in Sydney’s south, which encompasses St George Hospital, has the state’s 16th highest number of coronavirus cases with 60 recorded so far.
Georges River has recorded the lowest number of cases of any local government area within the SESLHD, which includes some of the state’s worst-affected local government areas in Waverley, Woollahra and the Sutherland Shire.