Extra hospital beds to open at Modbury Hospital and Lyell McEwin as Covid peak looms
Dozens of extra beds will be opened at Modbury Hospital and Lyell McEwin, as SA prepares for a predicted Covid peak.
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The state government will open dozens of extra hospital beds as Covid case numbers continue to climb.
Premier Peter Malinauskas announced on Friday capacity would be bolstered across two hospitals in preparation for a peak in cases.
Twenty-six standby beds will be opened at Modbury Hospital alongside an additional 13 at nearby Lyell McEwin in Elizabeth Vale, with five in intensive care and eight in the paediatric unit.
It comes as SA Health recorded 5666 new Covid cases, down from the record 6091 on Thursday, and six deaths.
The beds come as the Lyell McEwin Hospital neared its Covid patient capacity. The hospital has 39 Covid patients, one short of its capacity.
There are also 160 infectious staff and another 17 in isolation as close contacts from a total 5500 workers.
The Premier said invoking temporary elective surgery bans was still a live option but not needed at present.
He said it was not clear if cases had peaked.
“What we’ve got in SA Health is an unbelievable team of people that are quite frankly exhausted,” he said.
“And the only thing that is getting (them) through is a sense of dedication and vocation, from hard-working health staff at every level, from the bureaucracy, right through to all the clinical team, right through the people that are responsible for cleaning the hospital. They’re all under the pump.”
At least 125 new beds have been created since the new Labor government came to office, the Premier said.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen with Covid cases,” he said
“With picking nine out of nine in footy tips, it’s probably easier to know what’s gonna happen with Covid cases.
“So what you’re going to be prepared for the worst and then hope for the best and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
He said Covid modelling was the best guide.
“But the best thing that South Australians can do at the moment is to get that third and that fourth dose where they’re eligible.”
Official updated modelling released this week suggested SA’s Omicron wave would be less severe than first projected with lower cases and hospital admissions.
New SA Health projections presented to Mr Malinauskas on Tuesday shows an average peak of 1500 fewer daily cases and at least 100 fewer hospital admissions.
The Adelaide University modelling predicts 5500 cases each day and just over 200 hospital admissions.
A peak could hit more than 7000 but that is unlikely.
Previous modelling presented cabinet’s emergency management council predicted an average 8000 daily cases that could have reached up to 9000 a day.
Health Minister Chris Picton also said he was working to find 200 extra hospital beds ahead of the peak.
“We know it’s going to be very difficult to try and find those in a very short period of time but we’re doing everything we possibly can to do that,” Mr Picton told ABC Radio Adelaide on Tuesday.
“We’ve identified sort of close to that number of beds, the issue now is trying to staff them, trying to open them at short notice.
“We are moving heaven and earth at the moment to try and find the staffing to open additional beds because our hospital system is under significant pressure.”
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