By Mitchell Clarke
A staff member at the Kooweerup Regional Health Service (KRHS) has tested positive to Covid-19.
The employee was notified on Friday 14 August that they had been identified as a close contact and immediately presented for testing before being ordered to self-isolate.
The following day, Saturday 15 August, the employee was notified they had returned a positive result to the virus.
One other staff member has been identified as a potential close contact through contact tracing measures.
KHRS chief executive officer Frank Megens said the facility had enacted an outbreak management plan.
Mr Megens said all residents were swabbed on Monday 17 August, and while the facility continues to wait for some results, all returned tests have come back negative.
“We are being closely guarded by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Commonwealth Government and we continue to follow the guidelines as required under an outbreak,” he told the Gazette.
“Essentially, we’re just following the guidelines. All staff are in PPE and the facility has entered a full lockdown.”
It’s understood a deep clean of the facility will take place on Friday 21 August.
“As a high priority we will ensure ongoing communication with families, and work together to support our residents during this situation,” Mr Megens added.
The case is the first positive result for the Kooweerup Regional Health Service.
