SEVERAL operations have been cancelled and a ward was still closed today following a sharp rise in the norovirus vomiting bug at the General Hospital.

A small number of non-urgent operations due to be carried out this week have been postponed following what is believed to be the worst outbreak of the bug in the last four years.

It comes just days after Corbière ward was closed to new admissions. The Hospital’s restaurant also remained closed today in an effort to stop the spread of the bug.

Consultant microbiologist Dr Ivan Muscat yesterday confirmed that the number of Hospital patients suffering from norovirus has increased from two to more than a dozen during the last ten days. All the patients are being treated in isolation.