At least 50 healthcare workers, including about 30 junior doctors, have been infected with coronavirus as a major outbreak sweeps through Frankston Hospital.
There are also growing fears COVID-19 has spread to healthcare workers at nearby hospitals, including Knox Private Hospital and Peninsula Private Hospital, where aged care residents were transported after the virus began to spread through their nursing homes.
At least 50 healthcare workers, including about 30 junior doctors, have been infected with coronavirus as a major outbreak sweeps through Frankston Hospital.Credit:Paul Jeffers
Australian Medical Association Victorian president Julian Rait said staff had told him about two-thirds of the infections detected at Frankston Hospital, which is run by Peninsula Health, were doctors in training.
Professor Rait also suspected the number of coronavirus cases linked to the cluster was far greater than 50, amid concerns medical staff who might have been infected at the hospital were working at other health services, including the Peninsula Private Hospital.
The Age has been told almost 90 Peninsula Heath staff remain in isolation, either as a precaution or as they await test results.
It remains unclear how many patients have been infected, but it is believed the majority of infections are among healthcare workers.
The cluster has shut down multiple wards at Frankston Hospital, with parts of the facility not accepting new patients in order to stop the outbreak from spreading further.
The cause of the outbreak is being investigated, but health sources said a patient may have unknowingly brought the virus into a general ward, where it spread among patients and staff.
Peninsula Health has declined to confirm the cause of the cluster or give further details on the outbreak, citing patient confidentiality and staff privacy.
Professor Rait said the high number of infected staff pointed to a troubling systemic failure.
"There must have been some sort of systematic breakdown in the use of personal protective equipment or protocols or something going on for this to suddenly have emerged," he said.
Professor Rait, who is calling for an immediate and extensive investigation into how the virus spread, said he was extremely concerned by the huge number of young doctors infected.
"How this has happened needs to be thoroughly investigated," he said.
Professor Rait said he had written to Health Minister Jenny Mikakos calling for a breakdown of healthcare infections and details about the protective equipment used at Peninsula Health.
Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton confirmed on Wednesday he knew at least 50 patients and staff had been infected at Frankston Hospital. He stressed there had been an "immediate response" by the hospital to protect staff and patients.
"I think that number will grow," Professor Sutton said.
Peninsula Health chief executive Felicity Topp said in a statement on Tuesday that Frankston Hospital had admitted an increasing number of coronavirus patients in recent weeks.
"We are currently working through a plan to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our staff and patients, including closing a number of wards to admissions and undertaking thorough contact tracing with patients, family members and staff to alert anyone who has potentially been exposed to the virus," Ms Topp said.
The outbreak at Frankston Hospital has triggered alarm in other Victorian health services, with medical staff often travelling from Melbourne to the seaside suburb to treat patients.
The cluster is the latest in a string of outbreaks to infiltrate Melbourne hospitals, infecting healthcare workers and patients who are at heightened risk of dying from the virus.
An email from Monash Health chief executive Andrew Stripp sent to all staff on Tuesday warned any medical staff who had worked at Peninsula Health between August 3 and 17 were at risk of having contracted coronavirus.
Affected staff were urged to stay away from work until they were tested and cleared of the virus.
Peninsula Health said it was working closely with the Department of Health and Human Services and infection control experts to determine the cause of the outbreak and "immediately implement further mitigation strategies".
Details of the outbreak at Frankston Hospital have emerged a day after doctors, paramedics and other healthcare workers demanded the Andrews government guarantee that healthcare workers infected with coronavirus will automatically qualify for WorkCover compensation.
Healthcare staff now represent more than 14 per cent of active Victorian cases, with 2414 coronavirus cases detected in this group since the pandemic began
More than 3000 healthcare workers have signed a letter to federal Health Minister Greg Hunt saying personal protective equipment and safety measures are below standard and fail to provide adequate protection.
Doctors and nurses said they have been given only surgical masks to care for suspected coronavirus patients, been forced to tape ill-fitting masks to their faces and have relied on donated gloves and masks in some instances.
Ramsay Health Care, which runs Peninsula Private, has been contacted for comment.
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