Royal Melbourne Hospital placed on ‘pandemic mode’ amid case surge

As the rate of extremely ill patients outstrips mild community cases, the Royal Melbourne Hospital has been placed on “pandemic mode” for the first time.

The Royal Melbourne Hospital has been placed on “pandemic mode” for the first time as the number of severely ill Covid-19 patients grows.

Melbourne’s designated Covid hospitals also expect patient numbers to double over the next week as the rate of extremely ill patients outstrips mild and asymptomatic cases being detected in the wider community.

On Wednesday there were 58 Covid patient’s in Victorian hospitals, including 21 in intensive care and 14 on ventilators.

However, the specialists leading the hospital Covid response say they are better placed to cope with Victoria’s ongoing Delta current outbreak than they were in 2020, having overhauled the way the virus is managed now that more is known about its spread.

In one of the most significant changes Covid patients are now be “streamed” only to designated hospitals The Alfred, RMH, the Northern and Box Hill to reduce the impact across the rest of the health system.

The heavy concentration of Covid patients on Tuesday saw the RMH declare pandemic mode – an official setting that sees half its 42-bed ICU unit cordoned off, air sealed and staff required to be vaccinated and wearing full PPE at all times.

Although a redevelopment saw the ICU fitted with the extreme pandemic capabilities five years ago they were never activated during 2020’s second wave, despite the RMH admitting 480 Covid-positive patients and seeing 271 of its own staff infected.

But with 11 Covid patients now in the ICU – including eight on ventilators – intensive care head Associate Professor Chris MacIsaac said the hospital was already caring for more critical patients that any stage of 2020.

People queue to enter the Royal Melbourne Hospital as it deals with a large COVID cluster. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

“Because we know a little bit more about airborne spread we have taken the extra precaution of activating pandemic mode,” Assoc Prof MacIaasac said.

“Because our numbers were growing and we were concerned about not being able to put all of our critically ill patients into their own dedicated negative pressure room, we have activated the pandemic mode to create a zone that contains 20 beds.

“If we didn’t go to pandemic mate we could only offer care to eight patients.”

Greater awareness of airborne transmission and extensive airflow tests through the RMH have also seen it scale back the number of Covid patients in its specialist infections disease unit.

The ninth floor “hot zone” contained dozens of Covid-positive during 2020, but was this week considered at capacity with 15 patients.

With a further 342 confirmed Covid cases are being actively monitored by the RMH – and at least five per cent of those expected to require hospitalisation in the next week – other areas of the hospital are set to be converted to Covid wards.

The Northern Hospital has also seen a sharp increase in Covid patients over the past 12 days, with 11 now in its dedicated Covid ward and two ventilated in ICU.

With a further 140 confirmed cases in its community, Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer Lisa Cox said the hospital was preparing to double its capacity in the coming days.

“The infection is obviously more transmissible, quicker, with Delta. We are seeing more presentations into hospital these last 12 days that we have all year, so it is changing,” Ms Cox said.

“We’ve learnt significant lessons from last year with how we have patients on the ward, ventilation systems, more than adequate access to PPE.”

During 2020 the Northern Hospital bore the brunt of infected aged care patients, but Ms Cox said the introduction of vaccines had brought about a major change in the latest outbreak.

“It is a different picture this year. We are seeing a lot more younger patients.

“We are seeing young children. We are seeing people in their 30s, 40s, 50s.”