2 hospitals in Hebei cited for letting virus spread

Two hospitals in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, have been blamed and people responsible have been punished for dereliction of duty for failing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The failures led to infections among staff members, patients and caregivers, a notice from the National Health Commission said on Tuesday.

There had been a good chance of spreading the virus at Gaocheng People's Hospital and Xinle TCM Hospital, which are located in high-risk areas of Shijiazhuang, the notice said.

As of Jan 14, eight confirmed COVID-19 patients in Shijiazhuang had been linked to the hospital in Gaocheng district, where a patient's caregiver displayed symptoms of coughing on Jan 1 and had a positive coronavirus test result on Jan 4.

Many problems have been exposed since the caregiver was detected. For example, patients were not tested before they were hospitalized, too many beds were placed in wards and close contacts of the first COVID-19 patient were not properly pursued, the notice said.

Seventy patients in the hospital's department of cardiology, from which the first positive result came, were released from the hospital after two negative tests in a 24-hour period, and the patients and close contacts  were all discharged within five to 10 days.

In Xinle TCM hospital, a patient with acute cerebrovascular disease went to see a doctor on Jan 2, and tested positive for coronavirus the next day, becoming the first confirmed case from the hospital.  

By Jan 11, six people, including doctors, nurses and caregivers had tested positive for the virus. The notice said that the first person had been infected in a residential community and had spread the virus inside the hospital. 

Patients had more than one caregiver who could easily enter and exit wards without restriction, the notice said.

Superior departments in Shijiazhuang, including the city's center for disease control and prevention, were also blamed for failing to give proper instructions to prevent the spread of the virus after receiving reports from the hospitals.