The Hospital Authority today said two more nurses were classified as close contacts of a North District Hospital (NDH) nurse who tested positive for COVID-19. One of them works at Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) and has tested preliminary positive.
The NDH nurse, who works in the medical department, tested preliminary positive yesterday and four nurses in the same department were classified as her close contacts. Their COVID-19 test results are negative.
The authority reported that two more nurses who work at QEH and Tuen Mun Hospital were found to have had meals with the NDH nurse. They are also identified as close contacts and the QEH nurse tested preliminary positive yesterday.
The QEH nurse with no symptoms works in a medical ward and last performed her duties yesterday. As she wore appropriate personal protective equipment at work, no patient is classified as a close contact.
Six other QEH staff who had a meal with her are listed as close contacts and will be put under quarantine. All of them tested negative for the virus.
The NDH arranged viral tests for about 70 relevant staff in its isolation ward and the medical department and collected 69 environmental samples at the areas where the nurse had worked and rested during her infectious period.
The test results of the staff and the environmental samples were all negative.
Meanwhile, the authority added that a Princess Margaret Hospital nurse has also tested preliminary positive.
As a close contact of a COVID-19 patient, the nurse has been under quarantine since January 17. She developed a headache the next day and underwent COVID-19 testing on January 20. Her test result was preliminary positive.
The nurse last went to work on January 16 and no patient was identified as a close contact.
Another nurse who had meals with her is classified as a close contact and needs to undergo quarantine for 14 days.
The authority reminded staff to avoid having meals together and observe social distancing to minimise the infection risk.
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