The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The spokesman for the Prince of Wales Hospital made the following announcement today (April 26) concerning the interruption of the negative pressure system of the isolation wards.
 
     At 10.24pm yesterday, the fire alarm of the Main Clinical Block and Trauma Centre (MCBTC) was activated as a result of the interruption of a set of air-conditioning system on the rooftop of the building. The air-conditioning and negative pressure system were suspended immediately due to fire safety default setting. After investigation by the Fire Services Department, it was confirmed that there was no fire. All systems subsequently resumed normal at 10.45pm.
 
     The incident affected 20 wards from 5/F to 12/F of MCBTC, including two insolation wards.

     While the negative pressure system was suspended, a COVID-19 patient was staying in a single isolation room of one of the isolation wards. The healthcare staff of the ward were all wearing appropriate personal protective equipment. No one had entered or left the single isolation room and no high risk procedure was being performed during that period. The infection risk has been assessed to be very low. The hospital is investigating the cause of the incident.
 
     The incident has been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office via the Advance Incident Reporting System.
 

Ends/Monday, April 26, 2021
Issued at HKT 20:01

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