Ten staff test positive for Covid-19 at Kingsway Hospital

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Published Apr 20, 2020

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Durban- Ten staff members to date have tested positive for Covid-19 at Kingsway Hospital. 

Last week the private hospital announced a partial closure of the facility after a patient with Covid-19 tested positive at the hospital on April 8. 

On Sunday, KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu-Simelane Zulu said the total number of infections was 10 to date. 

"We are still continuing with the tests and still waiting for the results in those tests."

On the latest figures, Craig Murphy, regional director of Netcare’s coastal region said:

“The MEC for Health in KwaZulu-Natal, Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu, announced at a media briefing on Sunday, 19 April, that a total of 10 staff members at Netcare Kingsway Hospital had tested positive for Covid-19.”

Last week, Murphy said the origin of the exposure has been traced to a patient who was admitted to hospital via the emergency department on April 4 with a suspected stroke. 

Murphy said upon admission, the patient was risk assessed and screened for Covid-19 symptoms and exposure as per the Netcare protocol, which is aligned to the NICD guidelines. 

"The patient did not exhibit any signs of the virus and on questioning his family, no symptoms or exposure risks were reported.

“During his hospitalisation, the patient was visited by his general practitioner on the evening of 7 April who mentioned to the treating specialist that he had recently treated him for flu like symptom on 1 April. 

"The treating specialist requested a Covid-19 test as a precautionary measure even though the patient was still asymptomatic. At the same time, the patient was placed in isolation as a person under investigation (PUI). The test results of the patient came back on April 8 confirming that the patient had a Covid -19 infection."

Murphy said the emergency department was closed for outpatients as of April 14 and a systematic deep cleaning and decontamination process was started immediately. 

The KZN MEC ordered a full investigation into the hospital and said there would be consequences if any negligence was found on the part of any individual. 

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