Covid Qld: ‘New phase’ warning as key to low hospitalisation numbers revealed

One crucial thing is making “a particular difference” in bringing hospitalisation rates well below the levels initially feared for the state’s Omicron wave, the chief health officer says, but he is warning Queenslanders not to get complacent just yet.

Queensland could avoid the worst of what was predicted for the state’s Omicron wave, with health officials declaring a sense of optimism as hospitalisation rates fall.

With seven of the state’s hospitals at a tier 4 response level, The Courier-Mail can reveal the measures being deployed in Queensland hospitals to address the Covid wave.

Chief health officer John Gerrard said what officials were seeing was “very positive”, crediting Queensland’s wide scale vaccination rate for helping to limit the impact of the virus.

“Definitely becoming more optimistic as days go by,” Dr Gerrard said on Thursday.

“The projections for what we were expecting to see look like they probably won’t eventuate.

“I don’t want to jinx us, but certainly what we’re seeing is very positive here.”

Queensland recorded another 11,600 Covid cases on Thursday, which was a reduction from the 13,511 cases recorded on Wednesday.

Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard. Picture, John Gass

Another 15 people lost their lives with the virus – including four people who were unvaccinated and four who had received only one dose of the vaccine.

There are 829 people being treated in hospital with Covid, but this is down from the 889 hospitalisations recorded on Wednesday and 928 recorded on Tuesday.

Dr Gerrard pointed out that various models since December had indicated Queensland would experience admissions to hospitals in the “multiples of thousands”.

But at this stage, the number of hospitalisations in public hospitals still has not reached 1000.

“Probably combined with the private hospitals we probably have reached 1000,” Dr Gerrard said.

“But again, let’s not jump the gun yet. We’re not there yet. Brisbane still hasn’t peaked – it’s probably around its peak.”

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath also said she was feeling “optimistic”, conceding she had not felt that way for a few weeks.

“Looking at the numbers over the last 48 hours, seeing the drop in patient numbers, even our furloughed staff, we’re just seeing a bit of a trend happening there that makes you think this isn’t just a blip,” she said.

“That we are potentially over that peak on the Gold Coast. But I don’t want us to get complacent. We’ve got more to go.”

The government confirmed on Thursday there were seven hospitals in Queensland that had reached a tier 4 response level to Covid – which is the second highest response level to the virus.

Gold Coast Health has eight dedicated wards caring for Covid-positive patients. (Photo by Patrick HAMILTON / AFP)

Across the state, hospital and health services have ramped up their response to the pandemic.

Gold Coast Health has eight dedicated wards caring for Covid-positive patients, and Townsville University’s third infectious diseases unit is now operational and dedicated to Covid-19 patients.

The additional unit in Townsville has a 17-bed capacity which takes their total capacity across three infectious diseases wards to 50 beds.

Cairns and Hinterland HHS have been operating a virtual ward for Covid-19 positive patients since early December, with capacity for up to 300 patients and capacity to expand if required.

Metro North has increased graduate nurse intake and redeployed staff across the workforce into areas of high demand.

Metro South Health has continued to increase the number of available inpatient and intensive care beds to treat Covid positive patients across the Health Service, with 280 inpatient beds and 16 ICU beds.

Queensland’s vaccination rate is still just shy of the 90 per cent double dose rate – sitting at 89.3 per cent.

Dr Gerrard said about 40 per cent of people in intensive care units were unvaccinated, saying that the booster jab seemed to make a “particular difference” at reducing hospitalisation rates.

“One of the critical decisions that will need to be made in the coming months is whether or not there will be another booster related to the Omicron strain,” he said.

“We can breathe a little bit easier as it appears we’re passing the peak, but let’s not jump the gun.

“There will be another phase to this.”