What QLD already knows about its Delta surge hospital capacity

In an “unprecedented” move, four of North Queensland’s biggest hospitals yesterday hit capacity and issued code yellow alarms as politicians “desperate for a fight” feud over extortion claims.

Four of northern Queensland’s biggest hospitals issued “code yellow” alarms on Tuesday as they reached capacity and were forced to turn away patients, in a move labelled “unprecedented”.

As the battle of Queensland’s borders has reached new extremes, amid accusations of extortion, unfair treatment and politicians “desperate for a fight”, hospitals in Townsville, Cairns, Mackay and Mount Isa sounded separate “code yellow” capacity alarms.

The Australian reports Australian College for Emergency Medicine president John Bonning said the declaration of four code yellows in one day was “unprecedented”.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison accused the state government of extortion, after the Premier linked the state border reopening to getting more hospital funding.

But state Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said Queensland was being unfairly targeted, as other states had made the same request for funds, and the state needed the money for the hospitals to cope with a surge in cases in the event of a Delta-strain Covid outbreak.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

It is despite assurances being made to the Commonwealth, and publicly at a press conference on Sunday, the Queensland’s hospital system was ready.

Federal Health Department secretary Brendan Murphy said all states and territories had been working with the Commonwealth on health system capacity plans for once the country starts to open up again,

He said the states “all feel comfortable that they have well advanced plans to deal with the predicted modelled Covid that will occur in the national plan from the Doherty modelling”.

“Essentially what it‘s showing, using the Doherty modelling of the 70 and 80 per cent fully vaccinated rates with various scenarios and the states and territories predicted hospital demand, it’s showing that we can cope with the predicted demand on our health system,” Dr Murphy said.

Mr Morrison on Tuesday morning described the Queensland Government linking reopening borders to hospital funding as “ransom and to seek to extort from them money on the basis of COVID”.

“I mean to suggest that they’re not going to open the borders unless I send them cash. How else would you like me to call it,” he told the Today show.

When asked to respond to the Prime Minister’s claims, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said “I don’t believe that no, not at all”.

“These are pressures that are being felt right around the country,” she said.
“We want to make sure that our hospitals are getting ready.”
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said there was already an ongoing, uncapped 50/50 split of all Covid-related hospital expenses and the private hospital guarantee which provides more beds and nurses to deal with a surge.

“You get the feeling sometimes that people are desperate for a fight. They cannot complain about vaccines. So now they’re trying to create a diversion,” he said.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

“Right now, the focus of the Queensland Government shouldn’t be about fighting, but it should be encouraging people to say now’s the moment to come forward to be vaccinated.”

Ms D’Ath said Mr Morrison was targeting Queensland despite every state and territory leader signing the three letters calling for extra support.
“This isn’t just about Queensland,” she said.

Originally published as What QLD already knows about its Delta surge hospital capacity