I would like to provide our staff with additional information regarding the matter referenced in the Operational Bulletin of Monday 27 April.
A number of you might have heard reference to this matter in media coverage during the day.
On Thursday 23 April, a patient presented to Sunshine Hospital emergency department and required emergency surgery.
The patient had no known risk factors or any symptoms of COVID-19.
Over the weekend, the patient developed a mild cough and was tested for COVID-19, returning a positive result.
The safety of our staff is paramount and Western Health took immediate action in response to this positive result. This included contact tracing of staff and notifying DHHS.
Western Health has undertaken a full investigation into this case.
Anyone who was impacted and identified as being at risk has been contacted and 24 staff have been requested to self-quarantine as a precaution.
No other patients have been identified as close contacts of this patient.
There is no increased risk to any patients, visitors or staff coming to Western Health at this time.
If you encounter patients or families who have any further concerns, they should be encouraged to contact the Department of Health & Human Services hotline on 1800 675 398 or their website https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus
Regards
Natasha