A number of staff at University Hospital Limerick have been asked to self-isolate, following confirmation of four cases of Coronavirus there in the past week.
The UL Hospitals Groups and HSE MidWest Community Healthcare has also confirmed that the Emergency Department was closed for a number of hours on Wednesday night to facilitate a deep clean.
In a joint statement issued this morning, they say they’re working closely with Public Health colleagues in tracing contacts of the four patients, who are from Clare and are currently isolated and receiving appropriate care in hospital.
The UL Hospitals Groups and HSE MidWest Community Healthcare say public health are working rapidly to identify any contacts this small cluster may have had in the days before receiving a positive result.
Public health staff are in the process of informing the relevant contacts and advising on any relevant follow-up actions that may be necessary to protect their own health, the health of their families and the community at large.
The contacts include patients who attended Zone A of the Emergency Department in UHL between the hours of 10am and 2pm on Wednesday last, February 26th and they are being contacted directly.
Patients in any other area of the Emergency Department or the wider hospital are not considered to be contacts, but patients who attended a small number of other health services are also being contacted by public health.
The ED at University Hospital Limerick is operating as normal today but the UL Hospitals Group has today confirmed that it was put off call for a three-hour period on Wednesday night, to facilitate a precautionary deep clean of affected areas.
Staff who were in close contact with one of the confirmed cases have been advised not to report for duty and to follow the guidance of public health and occupational health colleagues.
The statement goes on to say that Staff at UL Hospitals Group and in HSE Community Healthcare have been preparing for positive cases of COVID-19 for a number of weeks now, and are closely following the plans established by the HSE and the Department of Health and in line with the WHO and ECDC guidance.
They’re warning that as “we remain in the containment phase in relation to COVID -19 and as long as this remains the case, it is important that members of the public follow the most up-to-date advice from the HSE”.
General advice and information on COVID-19 for members of the public is available here
