Tate Papworth
Brimbank has recorded 24 additional active COVID-19 over the past 24 hours.
It comes as the outbreak at JBS abattoir in Brooklyn climbs to 29 cases.
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton warned that as numbers rose, so would the number of people requiring hospital treatment.
“There’s often 10 to 20 per cent of all coronavirus infections who require hospitalisation, so that’s a couple of hundred individuals at least who will require hospitalisation in the next couple of weeks,” professor Sutton told reporters on Tuesday.
Western Health’s Footscray and Sunshine hospitals have both been stretched already and are bracing for more patients.
Western Health acting executive director operations Lebe Malkoun said more than 7500 staff and all clinical and non-clinical staff are supporting the COVID-19 response.
“We are caring for a considerable portion of the patients hospitalised in Melbourne with confirmed COVID-19,” he said.
“As COVID-19 cases keep rising, Western Health remains at the epicentre of outbreaks and the response to managing these.
“These patients are being cared for in appropriate ward settings and in the Intensive Care Units at both Footscray and Sunshine Hospitals.”
He said the hospitals have the capacity to open additional acute and ICU beds if needed.
“It remains critically important that the whole community take all of the public health measures recommended seriously to minimise risk of transmission.
