NSW frontline healthcare workers are on high alert after a nurse at one of Sydney's major hospitals tested positive to COVID-19, and multiple staff at another facility were exposed to a COVID-positive patient.
The ABC understands the fully vaccinated nurse, who works at Westmead Hospital's COVID ward, returned a positive result on Tuesday, despite wearing full protective equipment at work.
In a separate incident, the ABC understands that staff at Liverpool Hospital are in isolation after a patient tested positive.
NSW Health told the ABC the Westmead Hospital worker did not display any COVID symptoms, and the infection was detected through routine testing of hospital staff.
NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association (NSWNMA) general secretary Brett Holmes said it was a "sad fact" that healthcare workers were exposed to COVID-19 when they were doing their job.
"'There's enough people in the community infected [and] we will see more cases turn up in hospital."
A spokesperson for the department said the staff member was isolating at home.
"Urgent investigations into the source of the infection and contact tracing are ongoing," the spokesperson said.
According to NSW Health, no one has contracted COVID-19 from the infected staff member.
Liverpool Hospital case sparks isolation
It comes as staff at Liverpool Hospital deal with potential transmission of the disease at the facility.
A spokesperson for the hospital said a patient returned a positive COVID-19 test on Wednesday and contact tracing was underway.
All close contacts, which could include hospital staff, are now isolating for 14 days.
The hospital postponed non-urgent surgery for the remainder of the day for operating theatres to be deep cleaned.
"That will have an impact on normal full operation of the theatres [until] they're able to bring up staff numbers again," Mr Holmes said.
He said the possible exposure of healthcare workers to the virus highlighted the necessary precautions needed to protect them.
"We trust that most people were wearing some form of PPE," he said.
Last month, an unvaccinated student nurse tested positive after working at Fairfield Hospital and Royal North Shore Hospital.
Two close contacts of the nurse then contracted the disease: a healthcare worker in her 20s who worked at Royal North Shore, Fairfield and Ryde Rehabilitation hospitals while infectious; and a man in his 60s who works at Royal North Shore Hospital.
During the height of Victoria's second wave last year, infections among healthcare workers grew so rapidly that Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt announced a national scheme to keep track of all the workers contracting COVID-19.
In Victoria, 4,174 healthcare workers have tested positive to COVID-19 with more than 70 per cent of those infections likely acquired in their workplace.
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