Source: ABCnews
The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne will introduce mandatory rapid COVID-19 testing for visitors after a virus scare at the hospital’s neo-natal ICU.
It comes as Victoria records 1,571 new cases and 13 deaths.
The new cases were identified from 79,200 test results received yesterday, and 38,072 doses of vaccine were administered at state-run sites.
There are now 19,861 active cases of the virus in Victoria.
The rapid testing precaution at the RCH came after a parent attended the neo-natal ICU on Friday and later tested positive to the virus, informing the hospital on Monday night.
There were 29 infants in the unit at the time of the exposure, and all have been tested.
None has returned positive to the virus, and all will continue to be tested.
The hospital’s chief executive, Bernadette McDonald said no staff have had to isolate, as all were wearing full protective clothing.
Ms McDonald said the rapid testing regime will begin at the hospital this week.
“As the numbers in the community have increased, we are increasing our protection and rapid antigen testing trials have been done in other facilities and now we get to take that on as well,” she said.
