Every necessary step is taken to prevent outbreaks in the hospital to safeguard the health of our patients and colleagues.

A gear in the anti-epidemic machine

Standing at the forefront, the jobs of the Infection Control Team (ICT) include contact tracing, daily cases reporting, giving PPE advice, organizing training and disseminating anti-epidemic information.

Infection Control Officer Dr Sally Wong said that instead of deep throat saliva, nasopharyngeal swabs are often used to collect specimen from child patients, which is harder and riskier. Besides, many immunocompromised patients may need to be re-tested because of fluctuating test values.

While infection control measures are strictly implemented, families' needs are considered. Said advanced practice nurse Yammie Yim, "We once had a positive inpatient whose father got an order to be admitted to an isolation facility. We immediately explained to the Department of Health about their special situation, and he could eventually stay in the hospital for isolation with his son."

If the anti-epidemic work is a machine, ICT is one of the gears to connect hospital departments. Whenever the HA implements new measures, ICT will ask different departments if they foresee any difficulties to ensure things will run smoothly. During the peak of the outbreak, they also responded to staff queries and concerns day and night. Dr Wong said, "Colleagues will feel more reassured knowing that ICT is fighting the pandemic shoulder to shoulder with them. I truly appreciate their trust in us."

▲An infection control team member operating a UV sterilizer in an isolation room previously occupied by a positive patient.

Bed management and parent communication

The Nursing Services Division coordinates bed allocation to ensure confirmed and suspected cases are properly isolated. Department Operations Manager (Paediatrics) Jeanny Cheung said, "Isolation rooms are limited and spread across different wards. We have to get hold of the latest occupancy and patients' treatment plan, and try to assign a ward according to their underlying illness."

For frontline nurses, they need to make phone calls to follow up on patients who are sent home for monitoring. If infected patients must continue their current treatment, nurses would make special arrangements for them to come back safely. They also explain to parents about compassionate visiting, including the latest vaccination and testing requirements to get their cooperation.

▲The HKCH COVID-19 Taskforce discussing measures to tackle the epidemic.

Strong support behind the scene

"Auntie, am I going to die?" Operation assistant Ho Kwai-fun can never forget these words from a COVID patient whose room she was cleaning. She said, "I comforted the boy that he could go home soon if he listened to the doctors."

The disease broke out shortly after Kwai-fun joined the hospital, which made her worried. "But then I started to feel protected because I was given adequate PPE and training." Like Kwai-fun, staff of the Supporting Services play an important part in containing the spread of the virus in their daily cleansing, security and portering work.

Senior Hospital Administrator Janet Tang said, "As the first line of defence, we work with related departments to implement tight access control at the hospital entrances. Designated door-to-door routes are also set up for suspected and confirmed cases." Chief Hospital Foreman Hui Tsz-yuen said, "Maintaining clinical operation is our top priority. Thanks to our frontline colleagues who don't mind taking up extra work, we are able to deploy manpower flexibly."

▲Kwai-fun follows infection control standards to clean the nooks and crannies of an isolation room.