Routine cardiac surgery at Morriston Hospital has been suspended following an outbreak of coronavirus.
Swansea Bay University Health Board said 10 patients and five staff had tested positive for the virus over the last few days, with most of the cases within cardiac services.
Routine cardiac cases have now been temporarily suspended while health bosses prioritise staff to continue to care for emergency and urgent cardiac and cardiology patients, working within stringent infection control arrangements.
Swansea Bay UHB’s executive medical director, Professor Richard Evans, said: “The safety of our patients and staff is paramount and we are doing all we can to contain the spread of the virus while minimising the impact on our services. However, as a precaution, elective cardiac procedures at Morriston Hospital are being rescheduled.
“We will continue to closely monitor and manage the situation.”
Find out about coronavirus cases in your area:
Four wards have been closed as part of the response to the outbreak. Public Health Wales have been involved, contact tracing is under way, further tests are taking place, and mitigating actions aimed at preventing further infections have been brought in.
Staff who have tested positive and their contacts have been told to isolate at home and patients who have tested positive are being carefully managed, according to the health board.
All patients affected by the suspension of routine surgery at Morriston are to be contacted directly and their treatment rescheduled as soon as possible.
Get Swansea stories straight to your inbox with our newsletter.
At Singleton Hospital it was reported recently that nine members of maternity staff tested positive for Covid-19 and were isolating.
However there have been no confirmed or suspected cases reported there in the last 24 hours, a health board spokesman said on Tuesday. No patients have tested positive and wards and beds are all open as normal.
