Coronavirus infections found at Laakso hospital ward

Coronavirus infections have been found in Laakso hospital at Ward 4 where four patients have been diagnosed with the infection, said the City of Helsinki in a press release on Friday.

The first diagnosis was made on 23 February.

All patients on the ward have been tested for coronavirus. All employees of the ward will also be tested.

“We are not completely sure about the origin of the infections. The Epidemiologic Operations Unit is investigating the infection source.Based on preliminary laboratory results it appears that we are not dealing with a virus variant,” said Helsinki City Hospital’s Medical Director Laura Pikkarainen.

As a precautionary measure, the affected ward has been isolated and the patients are treated in their own rooms.

New patients are not admitted to the ward at the moment.

The relatives of the infected patients have been contacted and informed about the situation.

“Visits to the affected ward are prohibited until further notice. However, loved ones can still contact the patients by phone, for example. The nurses can also answer questions regarding the well-being of their loved ones,” said Pikkarainen.

The Laakso Hospital has wards for acute geriatrics, trauma rehabilitation, follow-up rehabilitation of patients with a cerebrovascular disorder, and treatment of infections. The treatment of demanding coronavirus patients requiring hospital care was also centralised to Laakso.

The hospital has a total of 302 hospital beds. The hospital premises also includes the Laakso corona health station, services related to substance abuse and psychiatry, and an imaging unit of the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS).