Covid wave hits hospitals

Six hospitals face bed shortages

SIX public hospitals around the state are now experiencing high levels of bed shortages, as the federal government has announced changes to the vaccination rollout.

As the fourth wave hits Queensland, state-run hospitals are feeling the pressure as six facilities have now moved to a Tier 3 in the pandemic response, meaning there are acute bed shortages across the hospital networks.

Queensland Health has confirmed that Cairns Health, Mackay Hospital, Townsville University Hospital, Caboolture Hospital, Redcliffe Hospital and Rockhampton Hospital are all at Tier 3 activation as of 11am on Monday.

According to Queensland Health, a Tier 3 means there is a high impact on the hospital, and patient loads have to be shared across the network, including private hospital beds being used to help with rising demand.

It also means category one surgeries can proceed, while category two are moved to private hospitals and category three are suspended and rescheduled.

A Queensland Health spokeswoman said anyone who presented at state emergency departments would still be seen, but the most urgent cases would be treated first.

“All Hospital and Health Services are carefully monitoring the current situation to ensure they have the flexibility and capacity to respond to changing demands and pressures at a local level,” she said.

Staff were being redeployed to the busiest clinical areas and movement was being limited around facilities, the spokeswoman said.

It comes as ATAGI has approved a fourth dose of the vaccine for 18 to 30 year olds, while not recommending a fifth dose for the rest of Australia yet. The Pfizer bivalent vaccine can now be used for the third and fourth dose for those over 18 years old and targets the Omicron sub-variants.

Health Minister Mark Butler said ATAGI decided not to recommend the fifth dose after considering international and local data.

“ATAGI reiterated that they are continuing to actively review the role of booster doses,” Mr Butler said.

“They noted in that, in their view, any reduction in transmission in this current what appears to be a building wave, any reduction in transmission by adding a fifth dose to the system would, in their words, likely be minimal.”

ATAGI said new booster recommendations were anticipated early next year in preparation for winter.

The head of the state’s peak medical body said it was “truly frightening” to see six state hospitals reach Tier 3.

Australian Medical Association Queensland president, Dr Maria Boutlon said health care workers are doing the best they can in an “under-resourced system” as elective surgeries are cancelled or postponed to make way for Covid patients.