A major COVID-19 outbreak at a Melbourne hospital has forced over 600 health workers into isolation.
It has been reported that at least 50 staff members at Frankton Hospital have been diagnosed with the virus so far.
618 staff have been furloughed as a result, making it one of the largest coronavirus outbreaks among doctors and nurses in Victoria to date.
Staff who have tested positive have reportedly been working in coronavirus wards.
What started off as 200 being forced into isolation after the outbreak hit earlier this month slowly rose after August 16th when the hospital was alerted to an increased number of cases in staff.
Wards were immediately closed to admissions and all staff and patients that could be potentially affected were tested.
Peninsula Health chief executive Felicity Topp has said the hospital was in the final stages of vetting anyone who has come in contact with the infected wards. .
“We are still investigating if these cases are the result of increased community transmission of the virus, or if it has been acquired through the hospital,” Ms Topp said.
In a statement provided on Wednesday afternoon, Ms Topp said Peninsula Health was doing all it could to help slow the spread of the virus.
“Following the Frankston Hospital Outbreak, Peninsula Health has been working with a team of highly skilled infection prevention experts to provide additional assistance in undertaking a review of our COVID-19 practices,” she said.
“We have further strengthened our infection prevention measures, including the extension of our contact tracing of both staff and patients.
“As such, we are casting a very wide net on our contact tracing process resulting in the furloughing of 618 staff across the service.”
She said they currently had 44 active cases among staff members.
“We are being supported by a number of our local public and private hospitals, GPs and primary care providers to ensure we continue to provide our community with seamless care,” she said.
