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The Board of Management of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital wishes to assure the public that the management and staff of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital stand ready to serve the people of Barbados, even in these most trying of times.

At present there are multiple voice notes in circulation on WhatsApp which allege that various departments including the Accident and Emergency Department (AED) have been “struck” by the coronavirus. The contents of these voice notes are false and malicious in nature.

We recognize that there is heightened anxiety surrounding the spread of the coronavirus within our communities, and acknowledge that like else where there may be patients and or staff who may unwittingly be COVID-19 positive.

However, the Ministry of Health and Wellness is in the process of a contact tracing exercise aimed at identifying the primary and secondary contacts of all known COVID-19 positive individuals.

If any employees of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital are identified as primary contacts of a known COVID-19 positive case, these individuals will be removed from active duty until cleared to return to work by the relevant public health authorities.

By the same token, if any patients at the hospital are confirmed as COVID-19 positive, they will be transferred to an isolation facility for further care.

We are therefore asking the public to be mindful and stop the dangerous practice of sharing false information particularly during this time of national crisis.

Additionally, for official releases from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital please visit www.qehconnect.com or @qehconnect on Facebook and Instagram.

Queen Elizabeth Hospital

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