Queen Elizabeth Hospital Reports Virus Cluster

Queen Elizabeth Hospital has reported a cluster of coronavirus infections involving three patients, prompting the hospital to suspend some emergency services to allow for infection control work, and to ensure wards are less crowded.

The first patient in the cluster, a 92-year-old woman, was confirmed to have coronavirus on Monday.

Since then doctors have discovered that a 77-year-old woman who'd been staying in the same ward is infected, and tests show a 64-year-old cancer patient has also come down with the virus.

Speaking after visiting the ward in question, microbiologist Professor Yuen Kwok-yung from the University of Hong Kong said being as the SAR's community outbreak is serious, it’s inevitable that hospitals will be admitting people who have the virus but aren't showing symptoms.

He added that the immune response of elderly people is slow, so they won't develop a fever very quickly

Professor Yuen said one of the infected women may have touched the railings of other patients' bed as she walked around and she could have contaminated the environment.

Officials said tests have been carried out on other patients and staff on the ward, but none have come back positive so far.

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