COVID-19 infections have been found on ward 23 of Suursuo Hospital. Ten patients have been infected with COVID-19, and all patients on the ward may also have been exposed to the virus. The ward has 28 patients. The first infection was diagnosed on Sunday 22 August.
As a precaution, all patients on the ward have already been tested for coronavirus.
“Due to the extremely contagious delta variant, the patients will be tested again in a few days. The employees will also be tested. We are doing our best to control the epidemic,” Medical Director of Helsinki City Hospital Laura Pikkarainen says.
Approximately half of the infected patients had been fully vaccinated, i.e. they had had two shots of the vaccine.
“The infected patients are currently exhibiting mild symptoms, and we know that two doses of the vaccine should provide good protection against serious forms of COVID-19. We are monitoring the condition of all patients on the ward closely,” Pikkarainen says.
Several employees have also been exposed to COVID-19.
“The exposed employees were not fully vaccinated, and they have been ordered to quarantine. We encourage all of our employees to get vaccinated. We also offer hospital employees the option to be vaccinated at work. It is extremely important that as many people as possible get both doses of the vaccine,” Pikkarainen stresses.
As a precautionary measure, the affected ward has been isolated and the patients are being treated in their own rooms. New patients are not being admitted to the ward at the moment.
The relatives of the infected and exposed patients have been contacted and informed about the situation.
“Visits to the affected ward are prohibited until further notice. However, loved ones can still contact the patients by phone, for example. The nurses can also answer questions regarding the well-being of loved ones,” Pikkarainen says.
Suursuo Hospital has eight wards and a total of 200 beds. The hospital has end-of-life and palliative care, acute geriatric care, rehabilitation and substance addiction wards.
Photo: Virpi Velin