Patients in hospital for labour, broken bones being counted as Covid-19 cases

Scott Morrison is calling for a uniform definition of Covid hospitalisations after new data in NSW revealed many Covid patients present to hospital first for other reasons - such as broken bones.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will speak to premiers about a uniform definition of Covid hospitalisations in Canberra this week because it is the “key number” to track now.

It comes after The Daily Telegraph revealed that a significant proportion of people classified as Covid-19 hospitalisations in NSW are in reality being admitted for other illnesses or injuries but happen to also have the virus, exclusive government data shows.

“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,” he told the Today Show.

“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.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is calling for a uniform definition of Covid hospitalisations. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

The Daily Telegraph revealed today that analysis of Covid-19 hospitalisations in two major local health districts has found that women being admitted to give birth and people suffering from bowel obstructions, broken bones, and mental health issues while also testing positive to Covid-19 were inflating the daily hospitalisation number.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said a “snap shot” taken over two days this week in a major Sydney hospital found that on day one, 50 per cent of the Covid patients were admitted for reasons other the virus and on day two “close to 40 per cent” were admitted for non-Covid reasons.

Leading infectious diseases expert Dr Nick Coatsworth said the new data was “calming” and “reassuring”.

Leading infectious diseases expert Nick Coatsworth. Photo: David Gray/Getty Images

“This is a critically important statistic that we need to hear on a daily basis because it is a calming and reassuring statistic that we shouldn‘t hide ... that sharply changes peoples’ view,” he said.

Omicron in hospitals: how the numbers add up

JANUARY 2, 2022:
Total cases: 124,624
Hospitalisations: 1,066
ICU: 83

SEPTEMBER 6, 2021
Total cases: 29,253
Hospitalisations: 1,071
ICU: 177

Omicron in hospitals:
Snapshot from a  Sydney hospital
Day 1: 50 per cent of Covid patients were hospitalised for non-Covid reasons
Day 2: Close to 40 per cent of Covid patients were hospitalised for non-Covid reasons

The findings come as NSW cracked four-figures for hospitalisations with 1066 people being treated in hospital on Sunday as another 18,278 cases were recorded.

Mr Hazzard said the new year period was always challenging for the health system but the preliminary analysis showed that Omicron is not landing people in hospital at the rate that it may appear.

“We know that the new year period, the NSW hospital system is always under pressure and as staff are feeling it – Covid is adding to the pressure,” Mr Hazzard said.

“Interestingly though, in the early sampling of figures, a reasonable proportion of cases being classified as Covid hospitalisations are actually people with other reasons for admission.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard says half of Covid patients at a major Sydney hospital were admitted over something else. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

“Heart attacks, births, falls, none of that stops just because there is Covid. They come into hospital, they have a swab taken and it confirms Covid. This shows us its out in the community, but we aren’t necessarily seeing that as the primary reason for all of the admissions.”

But while the findings are promising for Covid-19 fears — Mr Hazzard said they create complex challenges for the frontline staff in determining the appropriate ward to treat patients who have other health issues along with Covid.

A NSW Health spokesman said it was “expected” that as Covid-19 cases grow in the community, more people will present with conditions other than the virus as their main reason for needing healthcare.

ICU staff treating Covid-19 positive patients in Sydney. Picture: Kate Geraghty

“Since the arrival of Omicron, NSW Health has been investigating the characteristics of the variant and its impact on case numbers and how many people are being hospitalised as a consequence of their Covid-19 illness,” the spokesman said.

“Over the last weeks, small sampling of patients with Covid-19 admitted to hospital in two local health districts has shown that some patients were in hospital for non-Covid- 19 related illness or injury.

“These illnesses or injuries could include women who were admitted to hospital because they were in labour, or people who were suffering appendicitis, or bowel obstruction. These also include people seeking mental health support and care.”

NSW Health is currently analysing the remaining data beyond the two LHDs to determine the true hospitalisation rate of Omicron across the state.

Originally published as Patients in hospital for labour, broken bones being counted as Covid-19 cases