City hospital under pressure as staff go into isolation

STAFF isolation due to the Coronavirus (Covid-19) infection is adding pressure on the existing rosters in clinical areas at the Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH), a doctor says.
Director of medical services Dr Kone Sobi said since last week around 100 staff had contracted Covid-19.
He said most had mild infections and some had resumed work after a five-day isolation.

“We are monitoring the situation closely and aim to maintain the usual clinical services as much as possible,” he said.
“However isolation of staff in some clinical areas may result in controlling numbers of client appointments in those areas for instance at the gynaecology clinic this week. “There are 22 in-patients in the ward.
“All have comorbidities, half of them are on some amount of oxygen while others are on room air.
“We have not had a drastic increase in severe respiratory disease of Covid-19 cases since Friday despite large numbers of positive cases.”
He said the positivity rate was about 75 per cent which meant around seven out of 10 people were testing positive.
Dr Sobi said the results of samples sent to Melbourne for the genome sequencing to determine if other cases were Omicron, Delta or there variants and would return in two to three weeks’ time.
He said earlier that most of the patients that were testing positive for Covid-19 had mild symptoms and were advised to isolate at home.

The National / PNG Health Watch

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