Covid ‘wipes out’ hospital staff, testing as infections soar in NSW, Vic, QLD, SA
One of Australia’s top doctors has said some hospital staff units are being “wiped out”, as cases rise across NSW, Vic, QLD and SA while testing clinics shut down.
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One of Australia’s top doctors has said some hospital staff units are being “wiped out” because of the pressure of Covid-19 hospitalisations.
It comes as testing clinics all over Australia are being forced to shut down on Tuesday, to deal with the massive backlog of tests they are facing.
Australian Medical Association Vice President Dr Chris Moy told ABC Radio national on Tuesday it is becoming harder for healthcare workers to care for patients.
Dr Moy said he was particularly concerned about NSW “because of the refusal to actually have the mask mandates earlier”.
“You have this double-whammy of lots of patients and also staff being furloughed at the same time,” he said.
“I’m getting phone calls from concerned colleagues saying, ‘We’re really worried about how we’re going to staff our units because half of the staff got wiped out or a lot of the staff got wiped out because they’re furloughed and they can’t come to work.’
“It’s hard to provide care not just for COVID, but also for everything else that the health system provides.”
Dr Moy said there were three problems, which come after the AMA called on the federal government for a rapid antigen test strategy in September before they came in November 1.
“We’ve got three problems,” he said.
“The first is we’ve got inability to supply (rapid antigen tests) at a critical moment when we really need it, and the second thing is that there’s a lack of equity of access because, unfortunately, they’re costing so much that they’re really not available to a lot of people.
“And also there’s poor communication about when people should be using them to best effect.”
Dr Moy’s comments come as more than 50 Victorian testing sites will shut temporarily because of massive demand as queues snake around city blocks.
Private laboratories 4Cyte Pathology, ACL, Melbourne Pathology and Dorevitch Pathology will temporarily close testing centres in the state.
“I’m afraid that today four of our private sector laboratory partners have confirmed they are closing, temporarily suspending a number of their testing centres,” Victorian Covid commander Jeroen Weimar told reporters on Tuesday.
The labs between them operate 54 testing sites across Victoria, with 41 of them run by 4Cyte.
Mr Weimar said the labs would continue to work 24/7 to process the backlog of tests built up over the last few weeks.
“It’s in all of our interest that they get on and complete those test results to ensure people waiting for the results can get them more quickly,” he said.
“Then when they’re ready to they will reopen their system.”
Mr Weimar assured Victorians 206 state-run testing centres would remain open.
In NSW, 28 clinics remain closed across NSW after Australian Clinical Labs announced it would shut doors until a large backlog of swabs had been completed.
More than 70 drive-through testing sites across NSW will stay closed until January 10, according to NSW Health’s website, while a handful are operating on limited hours.
NSW HAS 23,131 CASES
NSW has reported 23,131 new Covid-19 cases and two new deaths on Tuesday.
There are 1344 people in hospital with the virus, with 105 of those in intensive care.
With 83,376 tests undertaken, that puts the positivity rate at 27.74 per cent.
At the peak of the Delta variant outbreak on September 21, 1266 people were hospitalised, with 244 patients in intensive care and 118 people on ventilators.
Of the over 16 population, 93.6 per cent are double-dose vaccinated, while 95 per cent have had at least one shot.
There were 83,376 PCR tests processed in the 24 hours to 8pm on Monday, a drop on the daily volume in recent weeks.
It come as Covid cases in Victoria exploded with 14,020 new infections diagnosed overnight.
Three people also died with the virus.
The figure has almost doubled from Monday’s 8577 cases.
There are now 56 active cases in intensive care, with 24 of those on a ventilator – the same figure as Monday.
QUEENSLAND HITS RECORD HIGH
Queensland Covid-19 cases have hit a new daily high of 5699 as frustration builds over a buckling testing regime.
Tuesday’s numbers easily topped the previous daily record of 4249 set on Monday, with Health Minister Yvette D’Ath reporting 25,924 cases are now active in the state.
Covid hospitalisations rose from 147 to 170 in the 24 hours to 7pm last night, while there are 11 people in intensive care, up from 10.
Two people are on ventilators.
HUNDREDS HIT BY TESTING BUNGLE
A Covid testing company has been removed from the Queensland Health website after a major bungle saw hundreds of swabs lost, with residents left without results being told to get another test.
Covax Australia opened testing clinics at the QT and QUT in Brisbane to help with increased testing demand, but sends all PCR swabs to Queensland Pathology or other private labs for processing.
Hundreds of people have been told to get retested after the company inaccurately labelled tests, meaning they could not be processed by pathology clinics.
Brisbane residents have been waiting more than a week for results with many left in limbo after being unable to contact Covax directly.
Hundreds of furious locals have taken to social media to express their frustration over the testing bungle.
A Queensland Health spokesman said after travel restrictions were eased and Covid-19 cases were on the rise, the demand for testing had quickly escalated throughout December.
“PCR testing demand continues to place pressure on hospital and health services and private pathology providers, particularly over Christmas where some providers had planned reduced staffing levels,” he said.
Covax Australia has been contacted for comment.
Meanwhile, a major NSW testing clinic announced it had temporarily shut 28 sites, including both drive-through and walk-in clinics, across the state to keep up with increasing demand.
Australian Clinical Labs made the decision to shut the labs on Monday and said it would progressively reopen from Tuesday as it cleared the backlog of swabs.
WA BACKPACKER POSITIVE
Western Australia has recorded two new cases of Covid-19 as the health minister confirmed some restrictions, including a ban on dancing, would end as planned on Tuesday.
But the use of masks while at indoor public places will continue until at least Friday, Amber-Jade Sanderson told reporters on Monday.
The new cases are a 20-year-old male backpacker, who is unvaccinated, and a 24-year-old vaccinated woman who lives in the same household.
“We believe they are linked to the current Delta backpacker outbreak but investigations are ongoing,” Ms Sanderson said.
“They are being moved into hotel quarantine today.
“They are believed to have been infectious in the community and as such new exposure sites will start to appear.”
WA Health has confirmed that, as of 10am this morning, WA has recorded two new local case of COVID-19.
— Mark McGowan (@MarkMcGowanMP) January 3, 2022
This brings the total number of locally acquired cases in this outbreak to 18.
Read the full post here: https://t.co/kNyNPzqlfepic.twitter.com/4GqwOi7A3v
Ms Sanderson said there were now 779 close contacts identified, with 23 yet to be tested.
Four of them were patrons from the Perth Mess Hall event linked to the original case.
There are also 1635 casual contacts, with 219 yet to be tested.
Regarding the Pan Pacific hotel quarantine security guard case reported on Sunday, Ms Sanderson said there were 14 close contacts, with 11 testing negative, one yet to be tested and two results pending.
There are also 27 casual contacts, with 19 testing negative, three pending and five yet to be tested.
“At present, there’s no evidence to suggest any PPE breach on the part of the guard and we expect genomic sequencing to be completed tomorrow night,” she said.
“We have to expect that this could be the first sign of Omicron in our community.”
There have been people in hotel quarantine who previously tested positive for the Omicron strain.
“I think what this demonstrates is, if it is Omicron. how contagious it is,” Ms Sanderson said.
She said there had been minor breaches by guests, such as sticking their heads out the door.
Ms Sanderson also said that from 6am Tuesday, the restrictions around seated consumption and dancing would be lifted.
“On Friday, we will review the situation based on the latest health advice, and make a decision on whether the end or mask requirement can be lifted, or if it needs to be,” she said.
The change means nightclubs and major events can return.
Proof of vaccination will be required at nightclubs, pubs, taverns, hospitality hotels, the Crown gaming floor, events with an occasional liquor license, and major events with more than 500 people where masks wearing will also be required outdoors.
It comes after a trial at the Perth Cup on New Year’s Day.
Restrictions were introduced in the Perth and Peel regions just before Christmas after it was revealed a French backpacker from Queensland had visited multiple sites and had spread the Delta strain of the virus.
Meanwhile, the ACT and Tasmania have been elevated to “high risk” states.
The Northern Territory is classified as “medium risk” while all other jurisdictions are deemed “extreme risk”.
PM SEEKS NEW COVID PATIENT DEFINITION
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says a new definition of Covid patients in hospital is needed after it emerged patients in NSW and Victoria admitted for other reasons are being included in the Covid figures after a positive test.
With an increased focus on the “key” hospitalisation figures, the Prime Minister said there needs to be a “standard definition” across the states.
“I make the point on hospitalisation, and this is one of the things we’re going to have to discuss this week, I’m heading down to Canberra today, with the premiers is this definition of hospitalisation,” Mr Morrison told Nine’s Today.
“There are people being counted as being in hospital for Covid. They didn’t go there for Covid. They went there for some other reason and that’s why they were admitted, and they’ve been tested when they’re there, and they’ve been found to have Covid.
“So we need to get a standard definition on that because these are the key things we have to track now. The case numbers, I mean, there’ll come a time, and I suspect it shouldn’t be too far away, where reporting case numbers is really not the point. What matters is the impact on the hospital system.”
Rising Covid-19 cases and hospitalisations continue to put enormous pressure on parts of Australia’s healthcare system as hospitals grapple with staff shortages and ambulances are delayed.
There are at least 188,000 active coronavirus cases in the country, with almost 2000 people in hospital and almost 150 patients in intensive care, according to the most recent federal government data.
Mr Morrison insisted the country’s hospitals could cope, saying most people with the Omicron Covid strain would have a much milder illness than with Delta.
The Prime Minister said rising case numbers were part of “the new phase” of the pandemic in which people would need to take responsibility for “managing their own health” at home.
Mr Morrison reiterated NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet’s recent pleas for people only to call triple-0 in an emergency.
“Having some Covid symptoms is not a medical emergency,” Mr Morrison said.
Australian Paramedics Association NSW delegate Brett Simpson said earlier that surging cases were leading to record call-outs and creating critical delays.
“We’re seeing priority one emergency cases across Sydney and NSW waiting for over an hour for an ambulance to even attend. That is simply unacceptable and untenable,” he said.
It came as Mr Morrison again ruled out making rapid antigen Covid tests free.
Mr Morrison said Australia was now at a stage of the pandemic where not everything could be made free.
“We already make them free to everyone who is required to have one,” Mr Morrison told Sunrise on Monday.
“They are also tax deductible.
“We are now at this stage of the pandemic we just cannot make everything free because when someone tells you they will make something free, someone will always pay for it, and it is going to be you.”
Mr Morrison, however, said plans are underway to finalise concessional arrangements for pensioners.
“We understand the need for that and we will be doing that 50-50 with the states and territories,” he said.
There are also moves to get more health care workers, including aged care, back to work.
“We have undertaken some decisions to get more aged care workers back and off being isolated and furloughed,” Mr Morrison said.
The federal government has come under fire over rapid tests, with some states taking the lead in providing free kits to some people.
Leading epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaws has warned only the privileged and wealthy will be protected from Covid unless free tests are made available to more people.
Unions have urged the Prime Minister to follow the lead of other countries in providing free tests.
There are also widespread reports of price gouging with some retailers selling five packs for up to $170.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said rapid antigen tests were being made available to those in aged care and vulnerable settings.
Work to provide concessional access is being undertaken by national cabinet, which will meet on Wednesday.
However Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said people who couldn’t afford rapid antigen tests should be given them “otherwise the consequences are more dire”.
“The consequences of people not being able to be tested means that they will be out there in the community, spreading the pandemic,” he told Today.
“We need to do all that we can. We need to get the health outcomes right in order to minimise the economic impact. I don’t know how it is that those lessons haven’t been learnt. But this government, it’s always too little and too late.”
PATIENTS ON VENTILATORS DOWN, HUNT SAYS
Federal health minister Greg Hunt says there has been a reduction of Covid-19 positive patients on ventilators in the past few weeks, despite rising case numbers.
“There are 51 Australians, as of last night, who are currently on ventilation for Covid-19,” he said.
“This is actually down from 54 patients nationwide on December 15 so, almost three weeks later, there’s actually been a reduction in patients on ventilation.
“All of these things are coming together to help protect Australians.”
Mr Hunt said chief medical officer Paul Kelly’s latest advice confirmed the Omicron variant was more transmissible but less severe than Delta.
INCREASE IN SA HOSPITAL CASES
South Australia has recorded a further 2552 new Covid-19 cases overnight.
Premier Steven Marshall said there had also been an increase in the number of people in hospital, with the figure now at 94. Nine people are in intensive care but none are on a ventilator.
There are also 90 people within the prison population who are Covid-positive.
Mr Marshall said the latest numbers showed the Omicron strain was more transmissible, but the symptoms were far less than previous variants.
He also revealed there had been more than 19,000 tests conducted on Sunday.But he said it was a low day for vaccinations.
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Originally published as Covid ‘wipes out’ hospital staff, testing as infections soar in NSW, Vic, QLD, SA
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