COVID-19 safety breach potentially exposes Perth hospital staff to virus

Three staff members at the Royal Perth Hospital may have been exposed to coronavirus after a safety breach involving a service lift used by a COVID-19 patient.

It has been revealed the lift, used by a ship captain who was treated at the hospital last week, wasn't properly cordoned off, exposing the staff to the potentially deadly virus.

The captain, a man in his 60s, was flown to Perth on Friday night after being evacuated from the cruise ship, the AquaGenie.

Yesterday morning he was moved to the hospital's intensive care unit through the service lift.

A review of hospital CCTV has now revealed three staff members who were not wearing any personal protective equipment unknowingly used that same lift within 15 minutes of the transfer.

WA Health has stressed the risk of transmission is very low, stating two of the staff members were fully vaccinated while the third has had their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

As a precaution, the three staff members have been placed in self-isolation.

A review will now be undertaken into the hospital's procedures.

The ship's captain remains in the hospital in a dedicated isolation ward.