Up to 17 staff and three patients have been identified as having close contact with a woman who has tested positive to COVID-19 at Shoalhaven District Hospital.
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Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District Chief Executive Margot Mains confirmed a female patient at the hospital had tested positive to the virus on Thursday (March 19).
She is currently in hospital isolation for treatment.
Ma Mains said "at this stage, 17 staff and three patients had been identified as having close contact" with the woman.
"We are working with hospital staff, the Public Health Unit, Infection Control and NSW Health to identify and contact patients, staff and visitors who were close contacts.
"We are immediately establishing which staff, patients and visitors may need to self-isolate as a precaution."
She said health authorities have mitigation strategies in place to ensure continuity of service at the hospital.
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"These include immediately identifying and isolating patients and sending home staff who may have had close contact with the case," she said.
"All hospitals in the ISLHD follow strict infection control guidelines. In line with these guidelines, we have temporarily restricted visitors to some areas and some elective surgery has also been temporarily restricted."
She said surge planning was underway to ensure the hospital has the capacity to meet demand in key areas.
"We are finalising preparations for the district's second COVID-19 Assessment Clinic at Shoalhaven Hospital next week," she said.
NSW Health COVID-19 / Flu assessment clinics are up and running across the state including one which started earlier this week in Wollongong.
Medical authorities stress these clinics are for those most at risk with respiratory symptoms or fever, those returning from overseas or in contact with a COVID-19 case, or people like health workers.
"People without symptoms do not need to be tested," she said.
The link for the location of these clinics is available at www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/diseases/Pages/coronavirus-clinics.aspx
Numbers of confirmed cases broken down by Local Health District is available on the NSW Health website.
Unless there is an ongoing risk to public health, information relating to individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 will not be released.
NSW Health will continue to make contact with those most affected.
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