Minister of Health and Wellness, Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic, has given the assurance that the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) is still in a position to provide services, even though 10 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19.
Lieutenant Colonel Bostic made the assertion earlier this evening while participating in the COVID-19 Update and Press Conference, at Ilaro Court. He noted that the cases at the health institution were across a number of departments, and not limited to one or two.
“And in that sense, … the delivery of services in those departments has not been impacted in a negative way by those persons who have tested positive.… At this point, the evidence does not suggest that these cases originated within the QEH, but are part of the community spread, based on other cases that we have been following.
“The Queen Elizabeth Hospital is still in a position to provide the services that it has to provide. Obviously, there will be some concern there because some staff have been impacted …, but it does not stop the QEH from fulfilling its mandate,” he stressed.
Earlier today, a press release was issued, which stated that “the hospital was taking swift action to ensure continued high quality patient care and protection” of its staff, given that cases among staff members had grown from four to 10 within the last week. Those recently diagnosed include four nurses, one general worker, and one maid.
Lt. Col. Bostic reminded his audience that the QEH was prepared for several types of emergency situations, including devastating hurricanes, and how to reconfigure if there is an unavailability of the full staff complement.