Care home cluster reveals more positive patients

Wednesday 01 April 2020

The initial small cluster of corona virus patients within one of Guernsey's care homes has led to further positive test results among residents and staff members.

The Bailiwick has 91 confirmed cases of covid-19 as at 13:00 on Wednesday 1 April, with 16 of those being residents and 11 being staff at the affected premises.

The initial outbreak lead to the death of one patient in their 80s, in what has been the first fatality linked with covid-19 in the Bailiwick.

Speaking at today's media briefing, sympathies were expressed fo the family and friends of the deceased, with both Deputy Gavin St Pier and Doctor Nicola Brink saying it has been a really tough few days for those leading the Bailiwick's efforts to contain the spread of the deadly virus.

Dr Brink also said the island is starting to move out of the 'containment phase' and into the 'delay phase', which is when the number of cases caused by community seeding grows. There is already evidence of increasing levels of community seeding in Guernsey, although no cases have yet been confirmed in the other islands of the Bailiwick.

Deputy St Pier asked Dr Brink if we were still in containment, or if the Bailiwick has moved into the delay phase. 

"We're really in between the two at the moment," she said.

Pictured: Dr Nicola Brink and Deputy Gavin St Pier speaking at a previous press briefing.

Dr Brink said that as the work to contain and delay the spread of the virus continues at pace, there has also been a focus on the care home at the centre of the small cluster of positive cases of covid-19.

She said it has been a particularly trying time for her team and all working on the pandemic.

More staff have been brought in to help with contact tracing, which is how a number of the more recently confirmed patients have been discovered, through them being tested and receiving their positive results back.

"We've been working round the clock to try and characterise exactly what is happening there and we're doing contact tracing and looking into all of that," said Dr Brink.

"From our perspective, on a positive note we were encouraged when the 'Guernsey Together' spirit came out again and literally everyone came into help and that was really really encouraging, not only within Public Health Services because we were overwhelmed with a huge amount of extra work, but also most importantly within the care home.

"It's been a very difficult few days for the Public Health team but also for the whole of Guernsey."

Dr Peter Rabey, Medical Director of the Princess Elizabeth Hospital, also said most of the work by Public Health Services over the last few days has been focused on the care home at the centre of the cluster. 

Pictured: Dr Peter Rabey at the PEH. 

"The affected home has been facing a really difficult position, with numbers affected and the number of staff affected. We're an island, we're all in this together. We are doing what we can to support them, in terms of community nurses going into the home to help out, and we will continue to do that. 

"We're aware that people are working in really quite difficult conditions in some circumstances and we are helping them. We've had offers of hep from St John Ambulance Service as well, so lots of support going in there." 

Just one patient remains in hospital for treatment related to corona virus at the time of writing. 

A further live streamed media briefing is due to be held on Friday.