COVID: Tapion Hospital Takes Steps To Protect Patients, Staff

Tapion Hospital has implemented measures to protect patients and staff, citing what an internal document said was a spike in positive COVID cases in Saint Lucia and at the hospital. St. Lucia Times has verified the document’s authenticity. It appeared on social media last week. “Over the past week, we have noted a spike in the number of positive COVID cases on the Island and at the hospital,” the document from the Acting Medical Director to all staff, business units, and secretaries stated. As a result, it announced several protocols to address the situation. The document requested all staff working in clinical areas to wear face masks while on the wards. It also encouraged staff working in non-clinical areas to wear face masks. In addition, the January 17, 2024, memorandum asked staff with flu-like symptoms to report to the emergency department for swabbing, the cost of which Tapion Hospital would bear. Earlier this month, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that coronavirus numbers are spiking globally.  Data covering the four weeks to December 17 indicated a 52 percent increase in infections compared with the previous 28 days. That amounted to 850,000 new COVID-19 cases reported.  But WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier...