In a statement the KZN Health Department revealed that nine mothers, two babies, four doctors and one nurse had tested positive.
“As a Department, we are extremely concerned by these developments, and have urgently exercised our Constitutional obligation to prevent a further outbreak of the virus.”
According to the department the first case involved a mother who failed to inform hospital staff that her husband had tested positive for Covid-19. The mother was housed at a boarder mothers’ lodge at the hospital, where other mothers soon tested positive.
“We have instituted an urgent investigation by our Communicable Diseases Control and IPC experts which will seek to establish, among others, how the virus was able to spread at such a rapid rate within the hospital.”
The hospital said its facility with 219 patients, had effectively been turned into a quarantine site. To mitigate the impact on service delivery, the hospital added that low risk patients will be diverted by Emergency Medical Services to the district hospitals. Serious cases needing a higher level of care in medicine and surgery will be diverted to King Edward VIII Hospital.
Last month, two private hospitals were temporarily closed in the province after staff and patients tested positive for the deadly virus.
KwaZulu-Natal has the third highest number of Coronavirus cases with 1106 infections and 35 reported deaths.
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