A dementia and geriatric ward in a regional Queensland hospital is in lockdown due to an outbreak of COVID-19.
A positive case was detected on Ward 3 of Maryborough Hospital on Tuesday evening during routine rapid antigen testing of patients.
Since then Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service (WBHHS) has confirmed nine patients and seven staff have tested positive.
WBHHS COVID-19 response lead Michael Lewszuk said the entire ward was now in quarantine.
"COVID-19 positive patients were separated into different rooms and are in the process of being medically assessed before transfer to a WBHHS facility COVID-19 ward," he said.
"Due to a number close contact patients in Maryborough Hospital Ward 3, and the need to protect the wider hospital and community, this area of the facility is in quarantine.
"Other staff considered close contacts or displaying symptoms are quarantining at home.
"WBHHS staff have been following procedures to reduce their risk of COVID-19 exposure and routinely undertake extra precautions, including working in N95 masks and face shields."
Impact on staff
Central District Secretary of the Australian Workers' Union Tony Beers said the WBHHS did not sufficiently protect their staff from COVID-19.
"There's going to be outbreak of omicron in a hospital setting – but it's the things they put in place to protect the workers, that's what missing," he said.
"Safety measures haven't been put in place for the additional risks that come with working in a hospital environment, they're not being supplied PPE, and management here won't even get them fit tested for proper mask wearing in hospital.
A number of union members gathered outside the Maryborough hospital to show their frustration with the working conditions.
"Our members today have met, put in a number of resolutions about banning work that's unsafe [and] not going into areas where they haven't been supplied PPE," Mr Beers said.
"It's not good enough our members are treated like second class citizens. We haven't got enough staff, this management has failed to recruit new staff – at the top if there's a position vacant at the top they fill that at top dollar, but at the bottom [management say], "just cope."
