Almost half of Queensland's current COVID-19 hospitalisations are in regional parts of the state, new Queensland Health data has revealed.
It comes as the Australian Medical Association warns doctors in the regions are "burnt-out" battling a winter wave of the pandemic and a strong influenza season.
There were 907 patients in hospital with COVID-19 as of 7pm yesterday, according to Queensland Health.
Figures showed 427 of them were in regional hospital and health services, including the Gold and Sunshine Coasts, while 391 were in Brisbane-based hospital and health services.
The remainder were in private hospitals across the state.
The Gold Coast had the greatest number of regional hospitalisations at 97, followed by the Sunshine Coast at 61.
Outside of the southeast corner, the highest number of hospitalisations was in the Wide Bay region, where 59 people were in hospital, and Cairns, where 51 people were in hospital.
More patients were also in intensive care units in regional Queensland, at seven, compared to six in Brisbane.
Health service |
Hospitalisations |
Intensive care |
Total deaths since 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
Private |
87 |
0 |
- |
Cairns |
51 |
1 |
76 |
Central Queensland |
23 |
1 |
31 |
Central West |
2 |
0 |
0 |
Children's Health |
14 |
0 |
0 |
Darling Downs |
48 |
2 |
74 |
Gold Coast |
97 |
1 |
222 |
Mackay |
25 |
0 |
34 |
Mater |
44 |
1 |
0 |
Metro North |
154 |
4 |
239 |
Metro South |
139 |
0 |
391 |
North West |
6 |
1 |
3 |
South West |
9 |
0 |
3 |
Sunshine Coast |
61 |
0 |
130 |
Torres and Cape |
4 |
0 |
3 |
Townsville |
42 |
0 |
42 |
West Moreton |
40 |
1 |
76 |
Wide Bay |
59 |
1 |
65 |
Total regional |
427 |
7 |
683 |
Total Brisbane |
391 |
6 |
706 |
Surgeries may be rescheduled
Most of the health services confirmed they had dedicated spaces or wards for COVID-19 patients, but some services such as elective surgeries could be rescheduled because of the impacts of the wave.
The Mackay Hospital and Health Service said Mackay Hospital's emergency department had a separate waiting room for patients with or suspected to have COVID-19 and all patients at its emergency department were given a rapid antigen test.
Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service health incident controller Rudi De Faveri said his service had restarted its health emergency operations centre.
"We're feeling the pressure, like the rest of the community, with lots of staff being unable to attend work because they are either unwell or caring for others," he told ABC Far North.
A Queensland Health spokesperson said visitors to hospitals were still required to wear a mask, and patients booked for elective procedures were required to self-screen before attending appointments.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has put pressure on our health system due to hospitalisations as well as a large number of furloughed staff, and this may mean some localised changes to planned services, including rescheduling surgery, delivering healthcare in other settings and telehealth consults," the spokesperson said.
"As they have done throughout the pandemic, all Hospital and Health Services are carefully monitoring the current situation to ensure they have the flexibility and capacity to respond to changing demands and pressures at a local level."
Doctors 'tired and burnt out'
The Australian Medical Association's Queensland branch is encouraging regional residents not to be complacent about the pandemic and make sure they are up to date with vaccine boosters.
Association vice president Nick Yim doctors and healthcare professionals had been working "very hard" over the past couple of years.
"I think we are feeling tired, some of us are feeling burnt out," Dr Yim said.
"We're just trying to catch a breath of fresh air. We're trying to cop a break if we can.
"But I think we all do a great job around the country."
He said the pandemic, as well as the flu season, ambulance ramping and other issues were adding strain to the health system.
But he said there were things everyday Queenslanders could do to help.
"When I walk around my hometown of Hervey Bay, people aren't wearing masks anymore … when I walk into a supermarket people aren't wearing masks," he said.
'Big COVID challenge is now'
Rural Doctors Association of Queensland president Matt Masel said it was imperative the community overcame its complacency to protect health workers in small towns, where they could only have one or two doctors working across a GP clinic and small hospital.
"In Goondiwindi (where I am based) we were leading Australia in getting vaccinations into people and that was great," he said.
But he said the need for COVID-19 caution remained.
"It is actually peaking, and this is our big COVID challenge right now," he said.
Dr Masel said if people did receive a positive COVID test result, especially those over 70, they should contact their GP to see if they were eligible for medications that reduced the risk of hospitalisations.
