Covid scare in Royal Children’s ­Hospital neonatal intensive care

Dozens of premature babies are in isolation after The Royal Children’s ­Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit was visited by an unknowingly infected ­parent.

Twenty nine of the most vulnerable patients in the state have been exposed to Covid after an unknowingly infected ­parent visited the Royal Children’s ­Hospital neonatal intensive care unit.

On Tuesday, the hospital moved to isolate its entire NICU, known as the butterfly ward, with all critically ill infants categorised as Tier 1 or Tier 2 close contacts.

All parents and carers visiting the RCH must now undergo a Covid-19 rapid antigen test and return a negative result before being granted entry.

A string of parents has been confirmed as having Covid after spending time in RCH wards in the past two weeks.

The surgery, cardiac, intensive care and oncology wards, and now the NICU, have been affected.

About 50 children and their parents now have to isolate for 14 days – including almost 30 in their hospital room – though so far there has been no Covid transmission inside the hospital.

However, the latest scare – in the unit that cares for Victoria’s most vulnerable babies – is causing greatest concern.

A number of Covid cases have attended The Royal Children's Hospital in recent days. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

It is understood two newborns are considered Tier 1 contacts after the parent of one child spent several hours in the room the bubs share last Thursday and Friday evenings.

Another 27 critically ill newborns being cared for in neighbouring areas of the unit – including premature babies and others needing surgery or battling life-threatening conditions – are classified as Tier 2 contacts and have undergone Covid testing.

Carers who were visiting their babies at the same time as the infected parent are also considered contacts and have undergone testing.

So far, no new cases have emerged.

However, the RCH is making special arrangements to allow them to continue seeing their children due to the potentially distressing situations.

In a letter to the families of the NICU patients on Tuesday, RCH director Neonatal Medicine Leah Hickey said the hospital would be making special arrangements to allow them to continue seeing their children.

“We will ensure your continued safe access to visit your child during this period and this can be discussed with your child’s treating team,” she said.

“We recognise this is a very distressing situation and will do whatever we can to ensure your continued safe contact with your child.

Hospital chief Bernadette McDonald has announced rapid antigen testing for all parents and carers. Picture: Darrian Traynor

“Please be assured this isolation period will not compromise your child’s clinical care. We also hope you can find assurance that our staff take their responsibility for keeping patients safe very seriously.”

Supported by the Department of Health, the RCH on Wednesday announced it would implement rapid antigen testing for all parents and carers, in addition to health screening, entry questionnaires and compulsory masks, which are already in place.

RCH chief executive officer Bernadette McDonald on Tuesday advised staff that although the hospital already had the state’s strictest Covid controls, the recent exposures meant even more had to be done. Rapid antigen testing can provide a result within 20 minutes at the point of testing, reducing the chances of a Covid-positive person gaining entry to the hospital. Use of the tests is already being trialled at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, and it is understood the RCH rollout will follow the same process.

Opposition health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier said the scare could have been “averted” if the government had implemented rapid testing at hospitals earlier.

“It’s just incumbent, again, on the failure of the Andrews government to prepare our hospitals, to put those protections in place, to support our healthcare workers and, importantly, protecting those really sick little babies,” Ms Crozier said.

“This is a screening tool. This is important. It’s a common sense measure. It should be used and this is the exact example as to why we should use it in hospitals.

“The government has been really slow.”