Specialist equipment and staff boost capacity in Tasmania’s North-West during outbreak

As well as eyes in the skies to check on coronavirus restriction compliance, Tasmanians will now also see a new aeromedical helicopter in the air to boost emergency services as cases increase in the North-West.

A NEW aeromedical helicopter, contract ambulance cleaners and up to 50 extra paramedics will be brought into Tasmania to bolster emergency services as coronavirus cases continue to climb in the North-West.

Health Minister Sarah Courtney said the helicopter would have the capacity to carry two patients per flight.

Between 40-50 Ambulance Tasmania positions have been advertised to bolster the workforce.

Currently, paramedics are tasked with cleaning ambulances at the end of their shift.

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Now contract cleaners will take over that role to reduce the workload on paramedics and free up their time to deal with emergencies.

New figures given today show 97 of the State’s 169 coronavirus cases have come from the North-West.

Eighty-five are part of the North West Regional Hospital Outbreak and 56 of those are healthcare workers.

In the State’s south there have been 44 COVID-19 infections in total and in the north just 25.

Three people from interstate caught the virus while they were in Tasmania.

Premier Peter Gutwein warned people in the south and north not to get complacent as the area around Burnie continued to be the focus of the pandemic.

“We are seeing no new positive tests from other regions but we need people to continue to follow the rules,” Mr Gutwein said.

“Our measures in these areas seem to be working and we are trying to get on top of the North-West outbreak and then to understand what happened there.”

Deep cleaning of the NWRH continues today.

A seven-memeber civilian AUSMAT teams has arrived ready to move in to re-open the Emergency Department when that is complete.

The ADF has also landed in Burnie to help support that medical team.