Health care professionals at Ipswich Hospital are reminding Covid positive locals to only attend the emergency department if their symptoms are critical, as the hospital juggled the pressure of the Omicron outbreak.
West Moreton Health Acting Chief Executive and Covid-19 Executive Response Lead, Matthew Tallis, said high level presentations to the Ipswich Hospital emergency department were leading to longer wait times.
“Ipswich Hospital currently has three wards dedicated to the treatment of COVID-19 patients,” he said.
“Currently there is one Covid-19 patient requiring care in our ICU.
“Most people who test positive for COVID-19 will have a mild illness and can recover at home.”
Mr Tallis said the hospital had opened a demountable building outside the hospital where workers could assess if positive patients were eligible for the Hospital in the Home (HiTH) program.
“Patients who require an additional level of support are cared for by our virtual HiTH team who provide remote-monitoring service offering virtual consultations with patients in their homes,” he said.
Many Ipswich public testing clinics are overwhelmed with other private testing sites closing for various days to catch up on the backlog of results.
Last week the Court Street Fever Clinic turned away hundreds lining up for PCR tests as early as 8am, informing patients the clinic was already at capacity.
Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said it was a problem occurring across Queensland as the government couldn’t order the private providers to reopen nor divert staff to public clinics for fear it would create further problems in hospitals and the ambulance service.
“For every person I pull out of the Queensland Ambulance Service to prop up a new drive-up clinic, that puts pressure on the QAS,” she said.
“For every person I pull out of a hospital to run a testing or vaccination clinic, that puts pressure on our hospital system.”
“The reality is that no jurisdiction has been able to deal with these volumes of testing without pressure on the system. I can put more people on, but then I put pressure on the QAS and our hospitals.
“So I can set up more testing, but that comes with consequences in itself.”
Mr Tallis said to ease pressure on testing clinics and emergency departments residents in Ipswich should only get tested if they’re experiencing symptoms.
“The Court Street Fever Clinic behind Ipswich Hospital is continuing to experience a high level of testing demand,” he said.
“The West Moreton community is to be commended for seeking a test and isolating at the first sign of symptoms as we work to limit the spread of Covid-19 in the community.
“To ease the unprecedented demand on testing clinics, the Chief Health Officer advises that young and otherwise healthy people do not need to be tested if they are unable to access PCR or RAT testing and their symptoms are mild.
“We would like to remind the community that emergency departments are for people who are critically unwell.
“People with mild Covid-19 symptoms who can recover at home should not present to an emergency department.”
