Cairns Hospital: Health authorities back hospital’s capacity to deal with surge in Covid cases

Health officials believe the Far North has contingencies in place to handle a “Covid wave” despite fears Cairns Hospital could be overwhelmed when borders reopen.

HEALTH officials believe the Far North has contingencies in place to handle a “Covid wave” once borders reopen despite fears capacity would be overwhelmed in the event of a surge in case numbers at hospital.

Together Union representative and anaesthetist Sandy Donald said it was “almost certain” the Cairns Hospital and Hinterland Health Services would need to call on resources from Brisbane in the event of sharp spike in hospitalisations.

It comes as Deputy Premier Steven Miles moved to assure Far North residents that regional hospitals such as Cairns were ready, saying the state had been preparing since the beginning of the pandemic “680 days ago.”

Deputy Premier Steven Miles. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Dr Donald said that didn’t take into account the low vaccination levels of Far North communities such as Yarrabah, which is the least jabbed area in the state at just 48 per cent double dosed.

“I think if we got Covid going through all the vulnerable communities at much the same time, there is a likelihood that we would need help from elsewhere,” he said.

“What will happen when Covid gets into some of the vulnerable communities with low vaccination rates?

“What is unpredictable is how many will get sick, and also is it going to happen everywhere all at once, in which case you could see a huge flood of patients.”

Mareeba also has one of the lowest vaccination rates with just 66 per cent of its residents fully vaccinated.

It comes as the region prepares to emerge from its Covid induced hibernation on Monday when the borders reopen to fully vaccinated interstate travellers.

Dr Sandy Donald (centre) outside the Cairns Base Hospital. Picture: Emily Barker

CHHHHS executive director Marie Kelly said the hospital had escalation processes ready to increase capacity, including in the intensives care unit, if they encountered a surge in patient demand.

This could mean activating a Code Yellow to shift resources “where they are needed most” and support the emergency department, including calling on the Queensland Ambulance Service.

“Our escalation processes also include an ability to temporarily suspend some services such as elective surgery, transfer patients to our rural hospitals or Cairns Private Hospital, or call upon extra staff from elsewhere in the state if necessary,” she said.

Patients would only be transferred to Townsville if they required specialist medical services.

Dr Donald said a lot of planning would have gone into how the Far North health services could respond in the event of large outbreaks.

One of the patient rooms in the Intensive Care Unit ward at Cairns Hospital. Picture: Brendan Radke

He said the severity of the new Omicron variant could also be a factor, with one patient currently being treated at Cairns Hospital with the strain.

“Everyone has there fingers crossed it does not have a high incidents of very sick people,” he said.

“The hope is it will not prove as bad as Delta.”

Mr Miles said the state’s health system has “had a long time to prepare” and was ready for a “Covid wave”.

“Our hospitals are well prepared, they are always well prepared for whatever comes at them and in this case that is a Covid wave,” he said.

“We should expect to start to see cases from next week.

“Our hospitals and our health staff are fantastic, they’ve kept Queenslanders safe for all of those 680 days and they will deliver to them the same kind of high-quality care we’re accustomed to, as we start to see Cover cases come in.”

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Originally published as Cairns Hospital: Health authorities back hospital’s capacity to deal with surge in Covid cases