Cleaners and fresh medical staff from the ADF and AUSMAT arrive in Burnie

Tasmanians need to understand how the North West Regional Hospital outbreak occurred if they’re to regain confidence in the health system, Greens MHA and epidemiologist Rosalie Woodruff says.

TASMANIANS need answers over how the North West Regional Hospital became the state’s coronavirus infection hot spot if they are to regain confidence in their health system, Greens MHA and epidemiologist Rosalie Woodruff says.

Eighty of Tasmania’s 165 cases of coronavirus are linked to the NWRH.

The NWRH and the private hospital next door were both closed on Monday.

It comes as the state recorded its sixth death on Tuesday.

Premier Peter Gutwein confirmed a 91-year-old woman had passed away at the Mersey Community Hospital, where she was being cared for.

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On Tuesday night, Tasmania also confirmed 15 new cases of coronavirus.

Fourteen cases were known to be from the North-West and one was still under investigation.

Four of the six Tasmanians who have died from the virus were in the NWRH when they succumbed.

North West Regional Hospital. Picture: PATRICK GEE

The 1000-plus staff who work across the two sites — and their families — are now in quarantine for 14 days.

Patients released after March 27, and their families, also have been told to go into isolation, bringing the total locked down to almost 5000.

“Clearly something went very wrong,” Dr Woodruff said.

“People need to understand how such a large outbreak happened at the hospitals to regain confidence in their health system.

“The results of the epidemiological investigation are needed to understand how such a large disease outbreak occurred in a hospital setting.

“We were pleased to hear the Health Minister commit to making the results of the North-West outbreak investigation publicly available, and urge her to do this as soon as it is complete.”

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A crack team of cleaners and plane-loads of “clean” medical staff are arriving at the epicentre of Tasmania’s coronavirus outbreak as investigations into the cause of the deadly cluster continue.

In total, 28 patients were transferred from the Burnie hospitals to the Mersey Community Hospital, about 50km away in Latrobe.

Patients being transferred from the North West Regional Hospital in Burnie to the Mersey Community Hospital in Latrobe. Picture: PATRICK GEE

The Mersey will not be admitting any other patients.

Murchison MLC Ruth Forrest said pointing fingers at people or events before investigations were completed was not helpful.

“The investigation into the cause of the outbreak in Burnie and at the Mersey will be released, and we need to let the experts finish their job,” Ms Forrest said.

“I suspect there are a range of factors involved. It is a serious and significant outbreak.

“The North-West has always had a high reliance on locums.

“What has happened at the NWRH should be a lesson to other hospitals in the state, but finger-pointing at the NWRH is unhelpful.

“If there was an outbreak at the Royal Hobart Hospital our health professionals would do their bit to support them.”

Tasmania’s Director of Public Health Mark Veitch said testing of quarantined hospital staff, former patients and their families was being done to see if there had been any transmission outside the public hospital.