Covid 19 coronavirus: Healthcare workers test negative after contact with infected nurse

Tests on healthcare workers who came into contact with a nurse infected with Covid-19 have all come back negative.

A total of 79 Wellington Regional Hospital staff have been swabbed.

Capital and Coast District Health Board last week confirmed the nurse was involved in the care of patients with coronavirus and had tested positive for the disease.

The nurse last worked on Monday, April 6, at which time they felt well, and they have not worked since experiencing symptoms.

CCDHB director of provider services Joy Farley today confirmed tests of staff and contacts of the nurse had returned a negative result.

"Our priority is patient and staff wellbeing, and we are regularly monitoring and supporting the affected individual.

"In addition, Regional Public Health has been tracing any community contacts."

A formal investigation is under way into how the nurse contracted Covid-19 as they were using full PPE and had completed extensive PPE training.

Meanwhile, experts believe damp personal protective equipment is likely to have left some healthcare workers exposed to coronavirus when caring for patients from the Rosewood Resthome and Hospital cluster.

• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website

Canterbury DHB incident controller Dr Sue Nightingale told the Herald technical experts had been looking into how three Canterbury DHB staff members became unwell after caring for the elderly patients.

"Their collective view is that a PPE 'breach' is the most likely scenario," Nightingale said.

"It is believed damp masks may be the source of the breach."

The Public Service Association has previously said nationally at least 128 health workers had been infected with Covid-19 so far, and that thousands of members were working without reliable access to PPE.

The Auditor-General announced yesterday the issues surrounding frontline workers' access to PPE including masks will be independently reviewed, saying that the Health Ministry had agreed to a review of its management of PPE for the Covid-19 response.