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Hundreds of new beds and thousands of pieces of medical equipment continue to be pumped into Victorian hospitals as the state’s health system gears up for increased activity from coronavirus.
There more than 1,200 ventilators currently in Victorian health services, hundreds more ready to deploy in the warehouse if needed and thousands more on order – as well as more than a thousand IV pumps and hundreds of patient monitors.
More than 86 million gloves, more than 34 million surgical masks, 1.4 million N95 masks, 2.2 million face shields are currently available in Victoria’s warehouse ready to be distributed to health services across the state.
Since this unprecedented global pandemic began in January, more than 1,000 spaces for ICU and critical care beds have been created or upgraded so they are suitable for coronavirus patients. Extra equipment continues to be delivered to activate these beds, with additional beds coming online each week while works are underway on converting more treatment spaces.
“We’ve got the beds and equipment ready to ensure our health system can rapidly scale up and down as needed – based on the advice and modelling of our public health team", says Premier Daniel Andrews.
Should demand for ICU beds increase surge, plans are in place to convert a thousand more critical care spaces to treat coronavirus cases within our hospitals. This includes upgrading operating theatres, recovery and other ward areas, emergency department spaces, and if really required, more beds can be opened in modular facilities in hospital carparks.
“We have thankfully not needed this extra capacity yet and I hope we never will – but we need all Victorians to stay at home to protect our health system and save lives", added Daniel.