Weekly COVID-19 Community update 10 August
Wednesday 10 August 2022
There were 43 admitted patients with COVID-19 in hospital care within the Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service at 10am on Wednesday, 10 August. An additional 11 patients were being supported by our COVID-19 virtual ward.
There were also up to 80 staff furloughed across the Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service (WBHHS) yesterday due to COVID-19 related concerns – whether that is a positive test or close contact situation.
While numbers remain rather stable, there is clearly a substantial COVID-19 presence in our community and it is important that we all remain vigilant.
Everyone should keep their COVID-19 vaccinations up-to-date including any boosters they are eligible for. Getting boosters which are widely available in the community, will provide an extra layer of protection against COVID-19 and those at greater risk are encouraged to get their fourth booster.
Throughout the pandemic WBHHS has demonstrated its ability to be flexible and adaptable to the changing situation in accordance with its COVID-19 plan - including our COVID-19 virtual care model.
WBHHS continues to partner with community organisations to ensure wide availability of COVID-19 testing across the Wide Bay.
In recent weeks WBHHS has increased its COVID-19 bed capacity by expanding the pre-existing COVID-19 wards across our hospitals.
WBHHS continues to work with our local private hospitals and residential aged care facilities to maximise our acute inpatient capacity throughout the pandemic. We’re thankful for this arrangement which has assisted us to manage the impact of COVID-19 on local services.
While WBHHS continues to prioritise urgent elective surgery and outpatient appointments, our team has needed to reschedule lower urgency procedures and clinics where necessary. WBHHS continues to evaluate the evolving situation to ensure we maintain capacity for urgent care throughout our current COVID-19 wave.
Once again, our hardworking clinical and non-clinical WBHHS staff are standing up to the challenge, as they’ve done throughout the pandemic, and WBHHS commends them for their ongoing dedication, adaptability and professionalism.
