Hospital ready to ‘ramp up’ if second wave hits

Clinical directors from the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service say the region is well-equipped to handle a second wave of coronavirus.

Nurse Shirley Molloy swabs a patient for COVID-19 at a drive-through Fever Clinic in Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast, Thursday, April 30, 2020. The Queensland Government has announced that some restrictions will be eased in Queensland due to a very low number of new COVID-19 infections from Saturday, May 2. Queenslanders will be able to go for a drive (within 50km of home), ride a motorbike, jetski or boat for recreation, have a picnic, visit a national park and shop for non-essential items. (AAP Image/Dan Peled) NO ARCHIVING

CLINICAL directors from the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service say the region is well-equipped to handle a second wave of coronavirus, should one occur.

It comes as Beijing, a city which had "defeated" the virus, recorded more than 150 confirmed cases in less than a week.

It sent the Chinese city's 21 million residents back into lockdown.

Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service head of infectious diseases Keat Choong said the threat of a second wave would remain a possibility in the background for months to come.

He stressed that the community should adhere to government guidelines at all times.

"We have done a lot of preparation for that and structures put in place that we can respond if it happens," Dr Choong said.

"This is a time to watch and monitor as things open up. It's hard to predict but I am confident we can respond well to further cases."

His colleague Ted Chamberlain said procedures were in place to "ramp up" again if the second wave did hit.

"The thing about health is that we always plan for the future. You do the preparation, our logistics and command and control structure so that if things change, we can adapt," Dr Chamberlain said.

"You prepare for the worst but expect the best."

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