Message from the Metro North Health Incident Controller – COVID-19 update 401 | 03/05/2022
Dear colleagues,
- Current situation
- Returning to work as a close contact
Current situation
Metro North remains in Tier 3 of our COVID response plan.
Today we have 468 staff out of the workplace as close contacts or with COVID.
As staff and visitors are wearing masks at our facilities, we are lifting the density requirements for elevators in our facilities. This is because people are generally in elevators together for a short period.
The COVID staff debrief survey is still open for feedback.
Returning to work as a close contact
From last Thursday evening, the Isolation for Diagnosed Cases of COVID-19 and Management of Close Contacts Direction (No. 7) was updated.
These requirements also apply to staff who have had COVID within the last 12 weeks.
Metro North employees who are close contacts may return to work under the following conditions:
- They have no symptoms
- They meet the vaccination requirements
- They inform their manager that they are a close contact before returning to the workplace
- They wear a surgical mask or complies with any greater PPE requirements of the vulnerable facility while at work
- They test for COVID-19 at a minimum second daily and only continue to work if they test negative
- They leave work as soon as practicable (after informing their manager) if they become symptomatic.
The manager should do a risk assessment including the person’s role and location, and whether any adjustments are required.
Managers should document the return of close contacts to the workplace and ensure the employee has a sufficient supply of RAT tests available and supply additional as needed.
All staff must also wear PPE as per the risk matrix for your work area. If a close contact develops COVID-19 symptoms you must leave the workplace and isolate at home until symptoms resolve, even if you test negative on a RAT
Regards,
Louise O’Riordan
Metro North Health Incident Controller
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Current Metro North Health tier activated – Tier 3
Helpful links
- Register your positive RAT result
- Upload evidence of your vaccine or booster
- Vaccination locations
- Qld Health general COVID-19 page
- Metro North COVID-19 extranet
- COVID vidcast recordings on QHEPS
Metro North HHS – overview of cases*
| Patients managed by HHS | Fever clinics | ||||||
| Total in-patients | Virtual ward/ HITH/ similar | Deaths** | No. of clinics | Presentations | |||
| Total | ICU patients | Yesterday | |||||
| ICU not ventilated | ICU ventilated | ||||||
| 84 | 3 | 1 | 366 | 71 | 3 | 137 | |
Norfolk Island – overview of cases***
| Patients managed by HHS | Close Contacts in quarantine | ||||||
| Total in-patients | Virtual ward/ HITH/ similar | Total cases including recovered | Deaths | ||||
| Total | ICU patients | ||||||
| ICU not ventilated | ICU ventilated | ||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 268 | 0 | 12 | |
*As at the above date
**Metro North Health has recorded deaths (one person a return traveller into NSW, who passed away in NSW)
*** As part of an Intergovernmental Agreement, from 1 January 2022 Metro North Health is providing a number of health support services to Norfolk Island. This includes advice and support to staff on island in terms of managing COVID patients. The numbers in this section of the table refer to COVID patients who remain on Norfolk Island and are receiving direct care by staff on Norfolk Island.