Coronavirus: cluster traced to hospital breach

The Melbourne coronavirus outbreak delaying Victoria’s reopening was caused by a hospital worker who contracted the virus in Box Hill Hospital’s COVID ward.

The COVID testing site at West Heidelberg on Sunday. Picture: David Crosling

The coronavirus outbreak in Melbourne’s northern suburbs that is delaying Victoria’s reopening was caused by a hospital worker who contracted the virus from a patient in Box Hill Hospital’s COVID ward, and was then allowed to work in a non-COVID ward.

The revelation came as the Andrews government cited ongoing testing relating to the northern suburbs cluster as its reason for delaying an easing of restrictions — with more than 1100 swabs returned by Sunday evening all testing negative.

The government confirmed late on Sunday that a cluster at the eastern Melbourne hospital had been sparked after a patient on the COVID ward infected two staff members, one of whom worked while infectious (but before the onset of symptoms) on a different ward, transmitting the virus to another staff member and patient.

On Sunday, the government confirmed the staff member who transferred the virus between the wards was also the index case for the northern suburbs cluster, releasing a map of the links between 11 affected households.

Among the households are 39 confirmed cases of coronavirus, and 25 close contacts.

The revelation comes nine days after The Australian asked Health Minister Martin Foley at the Premier’s daily press conference on October 16 who the index case for the Box Hill Hospital outbreak had been, and how the virus had been transmitted from the COVID ward to the non-COVID ward.

A woman and her daughter leave a covid testing site on Lyon St in Carlton, Melbourne. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty

At the time, Mr Foley said he had not been briefed on the issue. Later that day, the Chief Health Officer’s press release stated: “Following investigation, it is believed the index case for the Box Hill Hospital outbreak was a patient cared for on the COVID ward. Investigations continue into avenues of transmission from that ward to other areas of the hospital.”

UNSW epidemiologist Raina MacIntyre said the outbreak highlighted a lack of proper infection control policies and guidelines for health workers, including mandatory fit-tested N95 masks.

“If we don’t throw everything at healthcare and aged-care outbreaks and protect our health workers optimally, then we’re threatening our economic recovery,” Professor MacIntyre said.

She listed a series of countries including China, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong where she said there had been “virtually no health worker infections” due to strict precautionary protocols.

As of Sunday, 3581 health workers had been infected with coronavirus in Victoria.

The household map shows that the first affected family was a Heidelberg Heights family of eight, with five male and three female members, including the Box Hill Hospital worker who tested positive for the virus on October 6.

That family also passed the virus on to an unnamed aged care facility, as well as to the East Preston Islamic College, after a child attended school prior to the end of his compulsory isolation period.

At least five students at the school have now tested positive for the virus, with another two cases preliminarily linked to the school on Sunday. The family also transmitted the virus to a Heidelberg West family of seven, six of whom have tested positive with the first diagnosis on October 11, as well as to a Roxburgh Park family of three, all of whom have tested positive, with the first diagnosis on October 11. They in turn passed it on to a Roxburgh Park family of seven, all of whom have tested positive with a first diagnosis on October 19, as well as to a Dallas family of five, two of whom have tested positive with a first diagnosis on October 11.

The Dallas family has passed it on to a Broadmeadows family of six, three of whom have tested positive, with the first diagnosis on October 17, with links from these households to Broadmeadows households of nine and four who are considered close contacts but are yet to test positive.

As a result of the East Preston Islamic College outbreak, a Preston family of six have all been infected, with the first case diagnosed on October 22, with a family member passing the virus on to the Croxton Special School community in Northcote.

Another East Preston Islamic College family of six from Heidelberg Heights has four infected family members and two close contacts, with the first case diagnosed on October 23.

That family has been linked to an aged care outbreak, which has in turn been linked to a Reservoir family of three, one of whom tested positive for the virus on October 24.

The Islamic Council of Victoria issued a statement on Sunday calling on all community members to be tested.

“This is a precautionary measure and would not only safeguard your families but also contain the spread of infection,” the statement said. “As it has been stated by the Premier and others this disease has no boundaries and can affect anyone and the rapidity in the way it spreads is of concern.”

An Islamic community figure told The Australian there was a “reluctance” to get tested among some members of his community.

“Stigma and a lack of trust towards government and health officials are among the reasons,” he said. “Some don’t believe in the virus. The DHHS has done everything it can in my opinion. Now all we need to do as a community is to come forward and get tested.”