Raleigh, NC – Twenty patients and staff at the cancer ward at Duke Raleigh Hospital tested positive for coronavirus, a spokeswoman for the Duke University Health System said on Tuesday.
The outbreak was limited to a fifth-floor wing of the hospital, which is now closed to visitors, spokeswoman Sarah Avery said in an email to WRAL News.
“We are conducting continuous contact tracking to help identify any potential additional exposures and remain vigilant as a health care system to adhere to safety precautions, infection controls or outbreak preparedness,” said Avery.
Duke Health declined to detail how many patients and how many employees were infected, citing patient privacy.
All patients and staff at the unit are being tested, and all rooms and common areas are being disinfected, she said. Infected patients who continue to require hospitalization have been transferred to the COVID-19 unit designated by the hospital.
“One of the things we will be very careful about here is to go back and see where the infections may have occurred,” said Dr. Cameron Wolfe, an infectious disease specialist at Duke Health. “Have we managed to reach everyone who may have been affected, not just us, but with the help of the health department?”
Avery said most of the staff at Duke Raleigh Hospital had been vaccinated against the coronavirus, but some postponed vaccination “for a variety of personal reasons”.
“Vaccines are highly effective in protecting people from infection, but in the event of an infection, they also prevent severe COVID and death. The benefits of the vaccine are evident in this situation, ”she said.
“Even though there are a small number of people who can still receive COVID after a vaccine, [we know] that the severity of his illness be minimized, “said Wolfe.” So, in an environment where you see team members, family members or vaccinated patients, they have been minimized. “