Health workers have already tested positive for COVID-19 and the coming weeks are expected to put the system under pressure.
More patients will be treated in their own homes as the health system braces itself for an increase in COVID-19 cases and the challenge of having to quarantine infected staff.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Monday announced an additional $200 million to bolster the system for the expected Omicron wave. The funding will include support for out-of-hospital care and virtual-care hubs, IT platforms and Health Direct.Credit:The funding injection came only days after Treasurer Cameron Dick delivered improved budgetary figures in the Mid-Year Fiscal and Economic Review. The health budget is $22.2 billion.
Chief Health Officer John Gerrard said vaccination mandates would help reduce the risk of the emerging Omicron variant spreading through the system. “It is inevitable that people in the healthcare setting will develop infections, and that is going to happen more and more in the coming weeks and months,” Dr Gerrard said.
“Now all of our healthcare workers are vaccinated, and all of our healthcare workers wear masks when they’re in a clinical environment, so the risk to patients is minimised, but it does emphasise the need for all of us to get vaccinated.”
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