Three aged care facilities recently tested for COVID-19 under surveillance

Despite a reassurring result of just a single COVID-19 positive case after testing across three aged care facility in the North West, residents and staff working across the aged care homes are under active surveillance.

AUSMAT Paramedic, Mr Peter Jones, engages with an Australian Army soldier, from No. 26 Transport Squadron, during a familiarisation of the Burnie Ambulance Station in Tasmania, during COVID-19. Picture: DEFENCE MEDIA

RESIDENTS and staff working across three aged care homes in Tasmania’s North West are under active surveillance and will be retested if they show any early signs of being infected with the coronavirus.

While Deputy Director of Public Health Scott McKeown said it was “very reassuring” that only one of the 500 tests of residents and staff tested across Coroneagh Park in Penguin, Eliza Purton in Ulverstone and Melaleuca in East Devonport returned a positive result.

“But that doesn’t mean a resident or staff member cannot still develop the disease,” Dr McKeown said.

“If they display any early signs they will be retested.”

Before quarantined staff members return to work in Tasmania’s aged care sector or hospitals they must return two negative tests in 24 hours.

The female resident at Melaleuca who tested positive is being treated in the Launceston General Hospital.

Tasmanians are now asking if infected patients should be sent out of the State’s coronavirus epicentre into hospitals in areas where there is no outbreak.

Health Minister Sarah Courtney said Tasmanians who “were angry” about clinical decisions should think about the patients affected and their families.

“It is absolutely appropriate that they are cared for in the right setting and we are making sure it is safe for them and other patients and staff,” she said.

Ms Courtney said the government’s “complete focus” was on reopening the North West Regional Hospital and the North West Private Hospital where the deadly cluster has emerged.

The NWRH’s Emergency Department is being run by an AUSMAT team supported by the Australian Defence Force with up to 5000 staff, former patients and their families still in quarantine.

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Readjusted coronavirus figures were released this morning after Dr McKeown confirmed a manual counting error had resulted in the wrong inforamtion being disseminated on Sunday.

Tasmania now has 195 confirmed cases of coronavirus with seven new notifications between 6pm Saturday and 6pm Sunday.

One is an aged care resident (already announced), three are health care workers and one is a former patients at the NWRH. The other two are close contacts of other NW residents who have previously tested positive to the disease.

In total, 121 of Tasmania’s total number of cases are in the North West with 107 related to the dual hospital outbreak.

The maternity ward at the NWPH is currently undergoing a deep clean and will re-open when it is cleared of contamination.

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