More cases hit hospital

State loses third patient to virus as Burnie hospital cases climb

TASMANIA has 98 cases of coronavirus and its third death from the disease after nine new cases were confirmed yesterday — including eight linked to the North West Regional Hospital.

A man in his 80s died at the NWRH in Burnie. The man, like the other two Tasmanian deaths, was a passenger on controversial cruise ship Ruby Princess. Twelve health workers at the NWRH have now been infected.

A THIRD Tasmanian has died from coronavirus, while eight out of nine COVID-19 cases recorded in Tasmania yesterday were linked to the outbreak at Burnie’s North West Regional Hospital.

A man aged in his 80s, who was a passenger on the Ruby Princess cruise ship which docked in Sydney last month, died at the NWRH yesterday.

All three Tasmanian deaths from coronavirus — all aged in their 80s — were passengers on board that vessel. “On behalf of the Tasmanian Health Service, the Department of Health, and all the dedicated staff at the North West Regional Hospital, I extend my condolences to the man’s family and loved ones,’’ the state’s chief medical officer Tony Lawler said.

Director of Public Health Mark Veitch last night said nine new cases of the virus were recorded yesterday, including eight that are linked to the NWRH. Six of those cases are staff members, while one is a recent inpatient and one is a close contact of a previous NWRH case, Dr Veitch said.

The ninth case is from the state’s South.

Six of the cases are women and three are men. Three are aged in their 20s, two are in their 30s, one is in their 40s, one is in their 50s, one is in their 60s and one is in their 70s.

“An outbreak management team is already identifying and contacting any person who has had close contact with any of these staff,” Dr Veitch said.

“In addition, Public Health Services is also following up household and social contacts of all confirmed cases.

“The case in southern Tasmania relates to a recently returned overseas traveller who was already in home quarantine in accordance with border control measures.”

Dr Veitch said if any NWRH staff member or patient was determined to be a close contact of these cases, they will be contacted. He said other staff and patients would be tested in necessary.

The announcement of eight coronavirus cases linked to the NWRH adds to the six health workers who have become infected with the virus in the past week. A patient who spent time there before being transferred to the Mersey Community Hospital at Latrobe has also tested positive.

Meanwhile, a resident at an aged care facility at Somerset, near Burnie, is in isolation after being exposed to a health worker at the hospital who has since tested positive.

“The resident is not displaying any symptoms, but we are taking this seriously,” Southern Cross Care chief executive Robyn Boyd said. As a result, Southern Cross Care decided to close the facility on Monday.

As of yesterday morning, more than 3100 tests had been conducted for coronavirus.