A team of emergency medicos are still waiting to get into Burnie’s North West Regional Hospital

An emergency medical team being supported by the Australian Defence Force is waiting for clearance to move into a decontaminated NWRH.

A CRACK emergency medical crew is on standby waiting for deep cleaning to finish before they can reopen the emergency department at Burnie’s beleaguered North West Regional Hospital.

The hospital has been the scene of a coronavirus outbreak that has resulted in 85 staff and patients infected.

It was hoped the ED would be back in operation today but the professional cleaning task – for which a crew of 17 needed to be trained – is taking longer than expected.

Tasmania’s COVID-19 infections climbed to 169 overnight with another four cases.

All were linked to the NWRH outbreak – two were health care workers, one was a patient and one worked at the hospital but not in a healthcare role.

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The seven-person AUSMAT medical team and the supporting ADF personnel landed in Burnie on Tuesday.

Colonel David Murphy said it was important the imported personnel waited for the deep clean to be finished and verified before they moved in to treat patients.

“The safety of personnel and the patients they will be treating is paramount,” Colonel Murphy said.

“Cleaning will take as long as it takes. The key is that we do not get any contamination among the emergency medical workforce.”

Colonel David Hughes, of the Australian Defence Force, who is assisting with the co-ordination of the AUSMAT clean-up of the North West Regional Hospital. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

It is the first time AUSMAT personnel have been deployed to an Australian hospital.

Usually the teams are sent to disaster zones to ease the associated humanitarian crisis.

The hospital was closed on Monday after the about 1200 staff across it and the nearby North West Private Hospital were all placed in quarantine along with their families.

All patients discharged after March 27 have also been ordered into isolation with their families for 14 days and testing has been ramped up.

Tasmania Police said more than 2400 checks had been carried out so far on North-West businesses and individuals required to quarantine.

“The collaboration and support from our colleagues has been invaluable, and TFS, SES

and ADF personnel are continuing to assist with teams undertaking welfare and

compliance checks over the next two weeks,” Acting Deputy Commissioner Johnathan Higgins said.

“For those of you who are required to isolate, expect a phone call and a visit.”

Health Minister Sarah Courtney announced today that a new aeromedical helicopter, contract ambulance cleaners and up to 50 extra paramedics will be brought to Tasmania to bolster emergency services.

The helicopter would have the capacity to carry two patients per flight.

Ambulance Tasmania has advertised for 40 to 50 positions to bolster its workforce.

Currently, paramedics need to clean ambulances at the end of their shift, but contract cleaners will soon take over that role.