SA Health has congratulated SA Prison Health Service teams (SAPHS) on their successful management of an Omicron outbreak in the State’s Mobilong Prison.
Nurse Unit Manager at Mobilong Prison, Lucy Howard said that when the first COVID-19 case was detected on New Year’s Eve, the SAPHS teams swung into action to minimise the potential spread and ensure the health and safety of prisoners, staff and visitors.
Ms Howard said the immediate challenge was the testing, isolating and identification of any close contacts of the 470-plus prisoners and 200 staff.
“Because we are an open campus with prisoners living in self-contained cottages and with no boundaries, at any one time they are able to mingle with each other,” Ms Howard said.
“The minute we got the first positive, the Department for Correctional Services (DCS) locked down the prison to minimise any movement around the place,” she said.
“Within five days the entire population of staff and prisoners had been tested, thanks to a tremendous, combined effort from the nursing team and correctional officers.”
Ms Howard said about 300 prisoners would eventually return a positive result – almost 65 per cent of the prison’s population – but, incredibly, not one prisoner required hospitalisation.
“On top of that our staff were conducting the testing in full PPE during 41°C heat,” she said.
Director of SAPHS, Andrew Wiley congratulated the prison health teams working across all sites for keeping vulnerable patients safe and ensuring a low hospitalisation rate.
“The prison health teams at all the sites have done an amazing job in keeping our patients safe and well,” Mr Wiley said.
He said “excellent collaboration” between various health teams and DCS staff helped to effectively manage the outbreak.
“SA Health, the Communicable Diseases Control Branch, Public Health, the COVID Response Care Team and SA Pathology amongst others have really lent in and helped us,” Mr Wiley said.
