Negotiations underway with private hospitals and aged care facilities

The Tasmanian Government warns elective surgery could stall to ensure hospitals have capacity to treat coronavirus patients.

Premier Peter Gutwein and Health Minister Sarah Courtney address media on the latest updates concerning coronavirus. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

ELECTIVE surgery could stall in Tasmania as hospitals look to increase capacity and ways to best to isolate patients as the coronavirus crisis grows.

Tasmania’s sixth coronavirus patient is in a stable condition in isolation in the Royal Hobart Hospital. The other five also remain in isolation and are listed as stable

Health Minister Sarah Courtney said the woman, in her 60s, was a travel companion of another of Tasmania’s coronavirus cases.

“While the transmission occurred in Tasmania she was already identified as a close contact of another case,” Ms Courtney said. “All the cases are linked to people who have arrived in Tasmania and there has been no transmission in the community outside of these cases.”

She said Tasmanians hospitals were now looking at how to increase their capacity and negotiations with private hospitals and aged care facilities were underway to ensure the state had enough beds to cope with an increase in cases.

“We are looking at wards which can be isolated and also looking a elective surgery to provide capacity. That could involve a slowing down of surgery to allow that,” Ms Courtney said.