The Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre will continue its restricted winter opening hours while hospital staff prepare for a potential outbreak of Covid-19 in Bermuda.

The clinic in St David’s had already been forced to continue its winter service for longer than usual while extra resources were focused on tackling a surge in flu cases at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital’s emergency department.

A Bermuda Hospitals Board spokeswoman said that the Lamb Foggo clinic would continue to operate on weekdays from 6pm to 10pm, with no X-ray service until further notice.

Weekend hours will remain as normal, from noon to midnight, with a full service including X-ray.

Chikezie Dean Okereke, the BHB chief of emergency, said: “We are grateful for the understanding of the community, especially in the East End, while we focus on caring for the increasing numbers of unwell people in the Emergency Department.

“On top of usual winter infectious respiratory diseases such as flu, we are also preparing in the event of a Covid-19 outbreak in Bermuda.

“This will further pressure resources and we need to make sure we can care for people who have more serious symptoms.

“It is why we cannot stress enough for people to call their doctor or the Emergency Department if they believe they have been exposed to Covid-19 or are experiencing fever or dry cough.

“This way you can be assessed and advised quickly, and you also protect other people in the waiting rooms and healthcare facilities — both patients and staff.”

Dr Okereke said that this was the first year BHB used a winter plan to help care for those most in need during the colder months.

He said that the number of admissions to hospital increased from 844 to 896 between December 16 and February 23 this year compared with last year — a rise of 6.2 per cent.

Extra resources in the Emergency Department meant that time to discharge patients decreased on average by 49 minutes, from 333 minutes to 284 minutes.

The wait for admission to an inpatient bed dropped from 1,070 minutes to 800 minutes and the number of patients who left before they were seen or treated dropped from 176 to 68.

THE BHB advised anyone concerned about exposure to Covid-19, or if they think they have an infectious respiratory illness, should call from home to their doctor’s office, the Emergency Department at 239-1301 or 239-1474 or during opening hours at the Lamb Foggo clinic on 298-7700.

They will be assessed over the phone and advised on next steps.