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IMPORTANT // Please look after your loved ones, yourself and be kind to others. If you are feeling that the world is too hard to handle there is always help - I implore you not to hesitate in contacting one of these wonderful organisations Lifeline and Beyond Blue ... and I'm sure reaching out to our PRE community we will find a way to help. T.
Coronavirus
- Thread starter Tigers of Old
- Start date
Cases have increased 8 fold in the last 2 weeks in Nsw so only a doubling of the icu numbers is a good thing isn’t it?
We will be at 6000 plus cases soon enough with the holiday period upon us.
ICU numbers lag infections by 1-2 weeks. These coming 2 weeks will tell a big story in NSW
Each state only has a limited number of ICU beds so using ICU cases as a percentage of total cases is not an ideal way to view impact of COVID/Omicron.
Can’t talk for other states but Victoria put together the ability to flex up ICU beds if necessary and that was done in the middle of 2020.
124 ICU beds taken for COVID patients is something that Victoria can handle adequately but it comes at a cost. That is about 1/4 of our normal ICU capacity in the state so flexing up means that space and staff for other patients is utilised and the patients who miss out are usually for elective surgery. Add to that the resources consumed by COVID patients not in ICU and those being treated at home by hospital staff plus the fact that there is a massive backlog of untaken leave in the system and the problems are still very large.
The delays in elective surgery is something that even if COVID stopped now will be with us for at least the whole of 2022.
Noted. But if cases skyrocket and even with a very low percentage requiring hospital or ICU, it will surely put a strain on the medical system.
Something that did not seem to be factored into preparing the medical system was the unavailability of medical professionals due to the Christmas break or that they contracted the virus.
At some point people need to take a break or we will break them.
I am aware that some are on holiday but from what I know it is far less than what it would normally be at this time of the year.
The inability to import medical professionals has hurt the system a lot, especially nurses. I think you will find the furlough rules for medical professionals will change soon, with thousands of cases a day it will be impossible to furlough all staff under the same rules as before and have a functioning health system.
Exactly one reason why I’ve been saying case numbers are still important.
You might have a lower % of cases going to hospital because of vaccination. but if you have a higher number of cases, it’s a net sum game zero situation that still puts pressure on the system regardless.
Even with just 10% of the population remaining unvaccinated, if the case spread explodes, that 10% can be highly problematic - even if Omicron is less severe. That less severe element is offset anyway by vaccine efficacy and wane and again, across a much much larger sample.
Case numbers tell you a bunch of other things as well. They’re the fundamental base component of assessment or reference point on how Covid is behaving, and how competently the world is dealing with it.
11,200 cases in NSW yesterday. Will be really interesting to see the split between omicron and delta because if Delta is still large in that number they are going to have big trouble in their hospital system in the coming weeks.
I am expecting Victoria, SA and Queensland to spike as well
I am expecting Victoria, SA and Queensland to spike as well
The fact that we're negligibly rounding off 200 cases is concerning enough, considering what we've had.
No doubt. And you can bet London to a brick that Victoria will hit similar numbers as NSW, and start tracking them, and probably pass them at some stage.
And the Murdoch media rails against masks indoors…..in Victoria only though.
