LGH unable to confirm source of latest COVID-19 outbreak

Two medical wards at the Launceston General Hospital - 5D and 3R - were closed on Sunday following the detection of positive COVID cases.

At the time, acting Regional Health Commander Alasdair MacDonald did not answer questions about how many cases had precipitated the closure of the wards.

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However, acting State Health Commanded Professor Tony Lawler on Wednesday said as of 6pm Tuesday there were 16 patients being treated specifically for COVID-19, with 63 patients in hospital for unrelated medical conditions statewide.

While the number of total patients had risen to 80 on Thursday, Professor Lawler said as of Tuesday 33 people were receiving care at the Launceston General Hospital, while 17 were being cared for at the North West Regional Hospital.

Following the detection of cases on Sunday, staff at the hospital said they had been advised not to refer to the situation as an "outbreak", and said the closure of the wards was to be treated as "business as usual".

One nurse at the LGH said the comments had frustrated staff who were experiencing increasing demand as a result of the ward closures.

"I guess it's meant to be business as usual, but we have a greater volume of patients waiting for beds," they said.

"Thirty-nine patients were waiting for beds last week and we couldn't treat them the way we needed to."

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The nurse said the comments highlighted a disconnect between the public messaging and the reality of what was happening in the hospital.

"We are receiving calls and messages every day to work extra or double shifts but staff are burnt out," they said.

When asked about the use of nomenclature in the hospital, Professor Lawler said the THS had not stopped using the term "outbreak" in hospital communications.

"As we continue to progress towards living with COVID-19 we will continue to see cases occur across the community and we will, unfortunately, see "outbreaks" within hospitals," he said.

"The Tasmanian Hospital Service has not stopped referring to outbreaks as such.

"Where an outbreak does occur, the Tasmanian Hospital Service has shown that its outbreak management protocols have been able to rapidly contain transmission, minimise disruption to services and limit any preventable risk to patients, staff and the community."

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Professor Lawler confirmed both wards at the LGH remained closed to visitors and new admissions as part of the infection control processes for managing outbreaks.

He did not advise when the wards would be reopened, explaining the situation was being overseen by the outbreak management team.

Professor Lawler was also unable to identify whether the latest COVID transmission came from within the hospital or from a visitor.

"Given present levels of transmission, we may not be able to identify the cause of COVID-19 transmission anywhere in the community," he said.

"The ward closures will remain in place for as long as required, with patient testing occurring frequently and an outbreak management team meeting daily to monitor and respond to the situation."

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