Covid Mackay: Cases surge as Omicron variants sweep state

The region’s health service is battling a spike in Covid cases with two people in ICU as the highly contagious Omicron variant sweeps the state.

Mackay Base Hospital has been forced to reiterate its emergency department protocols as it deals with an influx of critically-ill people amid a surge in Covid patients.

Two people are in intensive care with Covid as new strains run rampant across Queensland, causing a surge in Mackay case numbers.

As at Monday, there were 18 inpatients with Covid and seven with influenza in hospital.

“There has been a surge in people presenting to the Emergency Department and needing admission for Covid-19 and influenza over the weekend,” Mackay Base Hospital Acting Emergency Department Clinical Director Dr Pushpa Nettle said.

“The new strains of Covid-19 are highly contagious and are surging across Queensland.

“We’re asking anyone who presents to emergency to be patient if they need to wait for care.

“We have experienced a very busy weekend, not only with respiratory presentations, but with trauma alerts for motor vehicle accidents and people with medical conditions such as strokes and cardiac arrests.”

Covid has impacted hospital staff, reducing resources while doctors and nurses endeavoured to treat people as quickly as possible.

Since the start of the pandemic, 32 people have died of Covid in the Mackay Hospital and Health Service region.

There are currently 17 active Covid cases across the MHHS, and 16,684 cases since the start of the pandemic.

That compares to 29 deaths in the Central Queensland HHS which has recorded 16,668 total cases and has 103 active cases being treated.

Townsville HHS has recorded 41 deaths amid a total 30,343 cases and 85 current cases.

The Mackay local government area has recorded 10,785 total cases since the start of the pandemic, while the Whitsundays LGA recorded 2546 and Isaac LGA recorded 906.

Dr Nettle said the priority order was the sickest people were treated first, and people arriving at the hospital – either by ambulance or walk-ins – should expect to be triaged.

“If you come by ambulance and are not an urgent triage category you will be asked to sit in the waiting room,” Dr Nettle said.

“Due to the high number of people presenting to emergency with respiratory symptoms people are asked to limit numbers in emergency waiting room.

“Patients are only able to have one support worker or visitor at a time so large family groups and small children should not attend unnecessarily as you risk catching Covid-19.”

The plea comes as the number of Queenslanders in hospital with Covid climbs to the highest level since February, and renewed warnings the new Omicron sub-variants – BA. 4 and BA. 5 – led to quicker reinfection.

The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee on Friday said people who had had Covid could get sick again within 28 days instead of the previously believed three months.

Epidemiologist Catherine Bennett, from Deakin University, said the belief people would have a milder case of Covid-19 if they had previously been infected was not completely correct.

“It doesn’t seem to work that way, and in fact, some research we’re seeing (shows) people were reporting more severe symptoms, not less,” she said.

As of Monday, July 11, anyone aged 30 and older is eligible for a fourth vaccine dose as long as it has been three months since their last Covid jab.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath on Monday confirmed there was a Covid-19 outbreak on the Coral Princess cruise ship, docked in Brisbane.

“The virus is everywhere and there’s no escaping that,” she said.

“It doesn’t matter if you’ve had Covid-19, you can absolutely get it again and what we do know about BA. 4 and BA. 5 – the new sub-variants of Omicron – is that we are seeing reinfection and that can happen quite quickly.”

Dr Nettle reminded people they needed emergency care if the person was breathless, suddenly found it hard to breathe, had chest pain for more than five minutes, were immunosuppressed, coughed up blood, or felt cold and sweaty and had pale or blotchy skin.

Other signs included the person developing a rash that looked like small bruises under the skin, they collapsed or fainted, felt agitated, confused or very drowsy, stopped urinating, or had significant gastro symptoms and were unable to tolerate fluids.

“For non-urgent care see your GP or consult a bulk-billed telehealth GP service or call 13 HEALTH and speak to a registered nurse,” Dr Nettle said.

“Emergency care is also available at the Mater Hospital.”

Originally published as Covid Mackay: Cases surge as Omicron variants sweep state