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Health teams join forces to reduce exposure

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Kim Wilson, the Minister of Health (File photograph by Akil Simmons)

Teams from the Bermuda Hospitals Board and the Department of Health joined forces to spot possible risks of Covid-19 exposure in BHB staff who also worked at a care home that suffered an outbreak of the disease.

A BHB spokeswoman said that staff were told last week that they should not work at more than one location after test results confirmed a large-scale coronavirus outbreak at the Matilda Smith Williams Seniors Residence.

More than 20 people connected to the Devonshire nursing home, including at least two members of staff, have tested positive for Covid-19.

A BHB spokeswoman said last week: “It has been quite common for people to work in more than one location.

“We had communicated with staff early this week that we expect staff to adhere to Ministry of Health guidelines prohibiting work in different locations to limit potential transmission of Covid-19.

“Our employee health services department is working with the Department of Health with regards to BHB staff who also worked at Matilda Smith Williams nursing home to identify any potential exposure risks quickly.

“Our priority remains the safety and health of our staff and patients.”

Kim Wilson, the Minister of Health, revealed on April 12 that two residents and two members of staff at the home had tested positive for the coronavirus and that the virus had spread.

She added that an investigation was under way and all residents and staff at the home would be tested.

The news came after the ministry announced that residential care home and nursing home regulations would be changed to ban care home staff from working at multiple sites.

Ms Wilson said last Wednesday that test results showed 23 confirmed cases were “associated with the outbreak” at the Matilda Smith Williams home.

She declined to comment on how many of the cases were residents and how many were staff on privacy grounds.

Ms Wilson added that a member of staff at another home, now believed to be Westmeath Residential and Nursing Home, had contracted the coronavirus from a contact “not related to the home”.

Amendments to the care and nursing home regulations designed to help prevent the spread of diseases were published on the Government’s Official Gazette last Thursday.

They included a provision that will mean when a communicable disease has been transmitted at a home, or there is a “reasonable possibility” of that, the Chief Medical Officer can order “the immediate exclusion of any person from the home”.

The CMO can also order other steps such as “restricting who may enter the home and restricting its workers from working at other places ... or from visiting other places”.

Matilda Smith Williams Seniors Residence (File photograph by Blaire Simmons)