Second Covid-19 cluster at Craigavon Area Hospital

Dear reader,

The main developments in the coronavirus pandemic in Northern Ireland on Tuesday centred on Craigavon Area Hospital.

First on Tuesday morning, the Southern Health and Social Care Trust confirmed that 20 members of staff at the hospital are self-isolating after three of their colleagues tested positive for Covid-19.

Then on Tuesday afternoon, in a further statement issued by the trust, it emerged that a second cluster of cases had been detected at the hospital, with five cancer patients diagnosed with Covid-19. The trust said 12 patients on the Haematology ward have been tested, with five of those testing positive. The ward is currently closed to admissions.

Meanwhile, a health professional at the hospital told the News Letter that two staff at Craigavon’s Respiratory Emergency Department did not contract Covid-19 because they had been “partying”. The professional said a statement released by the trust last week had given a “misleading” impression of the situation.

Across Northern Ireland, 47 further cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed over the last 24 hours. Thankfully, there have been no further deaths related to the virus.

Alistair Bushe,

Editor

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