Nearly 1700 Victorian healthcare workers couldn’t work on Friday due to Covid

Two major Melbourne hospitals say they are not planning to cancel staff leave this holiday period amid a surge in Covid cases.

About 1660 Victorian healthcare workers were unable to work on Friday due to Covid. Picture: David Crosling

The Royal Children’s and Royal Melbourne hospitals say they are not planning to cancel staff leave this holiday period as a surge in Covid cases sees hundreds of workers call in sick.

Given the power to cancel staff leave if hospitals require more workers to cope, both hospitals told the Herald Sun they currently had “no plans” to take up the state government’s offer.

Both hospitals — that have experienced rising demand in recent weeks — also said they had not had to cancel any pre-booked staff leave to date.

Hospitals were earlier this month given the power to cancel staff leave by the Victorian government, to combat “increasing demand” amid the state’s fourth Covid wave.

Victoria moved to stage three of a four part healthcare plan, which lists a series of measures ranging from increased telehealth to at the most serious, final stage, suspending elective surgery.

Victoria recorded 25,000 new Covid cases in the last week.

A staggering 1660 Victorian healthcare workers were unable to work on Friday due to Covid, as hospitals entered their busy Christmas and New Year period.

The figure comes as nearly 25,000 new Covid cases were reported in Victoria in the last week, with 638 patients hospitalised, 26 patients in intensive care and five on ventilators.

And a shocking 84 Victorians died of Covid in the past week, just one less thanthe week before.

In the past three months, there have been 604 Victorian Covid deaths, of which 41.7 per cent of patients were unvaccinated.

Of concern, 60 per cent of patients aged over 70 years who arrived at Victorian emergency departments in the past week with Covid were undiagnosed at the time of presentation.

Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said on Friday night the state’s Covid wave appeared to be starting to plateau, but multiple variants continued to circulate and transmission risks would increase over the holiday period due to social gatherings and events.

And the number of healthcare workers unable to work due to Covid had increased this week.

Many Victorians say they are losing track of when they and their family members are due for Covid vaccine booster shots.

Asked by the Herald Sun if Australians were being notified when their boosters were due, the Federal Government Department of Health appeared to evade the question.

“People should stay up to date with Covid-19 vaccinations as they provide optimal protection against severe disease and hospitalisation from Covid-19,” spokeswoman said.

“With the festive season approaching and many families coming together to celebrate, anyone who is due to receive a booster should book an appointment as soon as possible.

“If you have recently had Covid-19, and you’re eligible for another dose, your booster should be given at least three months after your previous infection.”

More than 200 Victorian children have been hospitalised with Covid in the last three months. Picture: David Crosling

The department said the federal government was delivering the vaccine booster message “through a range of channels including media and social media, stakeholder networks... webinars, newsletters and advertising”.

More than 200 Victorian children have been hospitalised with Covid in the last three months, but parainfluenza and adenovirus are also making some kids very sick.

Strep throat cases have also risen in children under four.

Health authorities told the Herald Sun 217 children had been hospitalised with Covid over the time period but none had died.

“While the number of children with respiratory illnesses such as influenza and RSV presenting to emergency departments has decreased since winter, parainfluenza, adenovirus and Covid-19 continue to circulate in the community,” a Department of Health spokesman said.

There had also been a rise in the number of children under four with strep throat, he said.

The child Covid hospital cases represented just a small fraction of the 4,410 patients in total hospitalised in Victoria over the last three months, the spokesman said.

Originally published as Nearly 1700 Victorian healthcare workers couldn’t work on Friday due to Covid