Coronavirus NSW: Pandemic plans includes special COVID-19 clinics and mass quarantines
With experts predicting the coronavirus crisis will get a lot worse before it gets better, what plans are in place to deal with a pandemic? Here’s what authorities are planning.
Manly
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Special COVID-19 clinics are opening across the state in preparation for an increase in the number of coronavirus cases, according to health authorities.
Plans in place that could be triggered if the crisis worsens include making police responsible for guarding medical stockpiles and help with the management of pandemic mass fatalities if needed.
Other agencies would help supply food and essential household items to people in home isolation or quarantine.
Transport bodies would work at infection control and help to communicate government health advice.
Among other options detailed in the plan include closing state borders; temporary closure of schools and taking over community facilities such as sports arenas to quarantine people en mass.
A NSW Health spokesman said at the moment all health facilities were actively planning for a potential increase in people with respiratory illness this autumn and winter, with experts predict COVID-19 will continue to gather pace, alongside the traditional flu season.
Options include setting up COVID-19 clinics separate to emergency departments, but within a hospital setting if possible.
The first COVID-19 clinic on the northern beaches has opened at Northern Beaches Hospital, while it is understood a testing centre has been set up at Mona Vale Hospital, separate from the 24/7 Urgent Care Centre, while others are in the planning.
“A key activity is to manage a potential increase in attendances of patients with respiratory tract infections (such as COVID-19 and seasonal influenza) while maintaining services,” a NSW Health spokesman said.
“The establishment of an acute respiratory clinic pathway or COVID-19 clinic, similar to a fever or flu clinic concept, may be appropriate and all EDs should consider how they would establish an acute respiratory clinic in their planning.”
The spokesman said there were also plans in place to be able to monitor intensive care bed availability, staffing and accessibility of critical equipment, such as ventilators, but did not give details of how many ventilators were currently in use or whether there were any spare available across the state.
The NSW Health Influenza Plan and the Human Influenza Pandemic Plan also has details of how authorities would protect the community in the event of a pandemic including purpose built isolation spaces, or taking over schools, warehouses, convention centres, hotels or sports arenas.
Professor Robert Booy from the University of Sydney said this week that the virus was “spreading quite fast” and he estimated 3000 people might die from the disease in Australia, but it could be a lot worse.
“That’s the best case estimate I can think of. The worst case estimate is many thousands,” Professor Booy said.
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“COVID transmits very easily so a large amount of the population is likely to get infected.”
He said for every one person with the virus, they were infecting two or three others compared with those who contract influenza, who tend to infect one to one and a half people.
Professor Booy who has made a video on COVID-19 with the Australian Academy of Science, said influenza kills around 3000 every year, so the new virus could do exactly the same if not worse.
Last week Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned the state to prepare for worse to come.
“There’s no doubt that we are not anywhere near the worst of this,” Ms Berejiklian said. “We haven’t even hit the winter months.”
Ms Berejiklian also said they were considering upskilling health workers so they are able to do critical care and bring back staff to the frontline, who had moved into other roles.