Operations have been postponed at some of Queensland's largest hospitals as the health system grapples with the latest surge of COVID-19 and influenza.
All non-urgent activity has been suspended in the Metro North health district, including at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Prince Charles, Redcliffe and Caboolture hospitals.
Acting Premier Steven Miles said there are 613 COVID-19 cases in public hospitals and 99 patients with the flu.
Private hospitals are handling 101 COVID patients.
Thirteen people died from COVID-19 in the latest reporting period and four people lost their lives to influenza.
Mr Miles said some elective operations are being delayed as hospitals put their surge plans in place.
"I'd just urge people that if they are contacted by their hospital and told that their planned care, their less urgent care, needs to be rescheduled it's because our doctors and nurses are working just as hard as they can to take care of more urgent cases," he said.
Mr Miles said decisions on which procedures are rescheduled are being made at a hospital level.
"They assess what impact the COVID patients, as well as their staff on sick leave, what impact that has on their ability to deliver first of all urgent care and then they assess their elective surgery lists," he said.
"Obviously they endeavour to only reschedule that care which is least urgent, that which is safest to reschedule and so the most urgent cases will still receive their treatment.
"In some cases it's just a small number of category three elective procedures, in other places they've had to reschedule a lot more."
Metro and regional hospitals affected by elective surgery delays
A spokesperson from the Queensland Children's Hospital said there continues to be "unprecedented numbers" of children going to the emergency department and being admitted with respiratory illnesses but no operations have been suspended.
Metro South Health said its hospitals are postponing some non-urgent elective procedures.
"This excludes category one patients, people previously postponed, as well as cancer and trauma cases."
In a statement, Gold Coast Health said a surge in COVID-19 and influenza presentations is creating significant demand at Gold Coast University Hospital and Robina Hospital.
"We continue to provide the most urgent (category one) care for elective surgeries, as well as emergency surgery and trauma," the hospital said.
"Non-urgent surgery and some routine outpatient services are being cancelled."
Queensland Health said Gold Coast Hospital has rescheduled 222 elective surgeries this week, "due to increased healthcare pressures".
On the Sunshine Coast a range of strategies are in place to limit the risk of the third COVID wave, including increased use of hospital at home.
Further north, 43 procedures have been rescheduled in the Wide Bay region because of COVID-19 resourcing.
A Darling Downs Health spokesperson said elective surgery at Toowoomba Hospital was paused one week ago.
"Less than 10 patients were impacted and all have been rescheduled to receive their surgery within the clinically recommended time frames."
Planned operations at six of the region's rural facilities have been postponed for the next two weeks.
A spokesperson for the Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service said elective surgery is going ahead there.
"CQ Health is not under pressure due to the current COVID-19 outbreak, but we are closely monitoring the situation," they said.
There are more than 40,000 recorded active cases of COVID and more than 2,000 cases of influenza in Queensland.
A West Moreton Health spokesperson said four elective operations have been rescheduled because of the increase in patients needing treatment for COVID-19.
"All four patients have had new dates scheduled for their elective surgery."
Schools decide to bring back masks
As schools prepare to return from holidays next week, Mr Miles said they are "well practiced" at managing COVID risks.
"Some private schools have voluntarily decided to have their masks — that's the kind of decisions that schools can make on a case-by-case basis," he said.
When asked if state schools could ask students to wear masks, Mr Miles said "all schools can make those decisions".
"But there's certainly no state-wide decision in that regard," he said.
Mr Miles again urged Queenslanders to get every COVID-19 vaccine dose they are eligible for.
"Anyone who doesn't have their booster well they're just putting themselves at risk of greater disease."
