https://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2020/07/covid-19-ravages-victorian-healthcare-w...COVID-19 ravages Victorian healthcare workers
By Leith van Onselen in Miscellaneous
at 2:00 pm on July 27, 2020 | 25 comments
Yesterday it was announced that there were
381 active COVID-19 infections among
Victorian healthcare workers,
an increase of 81 on 24 July. And this doesn’t include hundreds on leave due to possible infection.
Doctors contend that inconsistent training in use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is contributing to the rise in infections, while the Victorian government has been attacked over its unwillingness to disclose how many healthcare workers have been infected in their workplace:
The head of the Australian Hospitals and Healthcare Association, Alison Verhoeven, says the pressures on hospitals and healthcare workers as they deal with the second wave of Covid-19 “has been immense”.
“Without strong community cooperation, our health services will be overwhelmed and the risks faced by healthcare workers will be even greater,” Verhoeven says. People need to adhere to public health directives to wear a mask, get tested and stay at home, she says, or health workers in the community risk being infected…
On Sunday the Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, acknowledged the gravity of the situation. “Whenever we have clinical staff and other critical health workers away, furloughed because they are a close contact or in fact as an active case, that does put some additional pressure on our system,” he said…
This highlights why Melburnians must stay home as much as possible. And if you do leave the house, you must wear a mask, maintain physical distance, and wash and sanitise your hands.
Don’t add further strain to an already over-burdened medical system.