By Alesha Capone
Werribee Mercy Hospital says that it is experiencing “increased pressure” as COVID-19 cases rise across the state.
A Mercy Health spokesperson said on Monday that the Werribee hospital “is seeing increased demand in its emergency department (ED) as COVID-19 cases in the community rise”.
“Given the high rate of COVID-19 in the Wyndham and broader community, we have a number of staff furloughed, which is placing additional strain on our staff,” the spokesperson said.
“Like all Victorian hospitals, we are experiencing increased pressure, however we are currently managing the COVID-19 demand in our hospital and maintaining services where possible.”
As of Monday, 17 active COVID-19 cases were linked to a cluster at the Werribee Mercy’s Emergency Department.
This figure stood at 29 active cases on Thursday, January 13.
The Mercy Health spokesperson said that Werribee Mercy Hospital was not a COVID-19 testing site, and that community members needing a test should attend a public testing site or use a rapid antigen test (RAT).
MyClinic Werribee GP, Dr Joe Garra, said many medical practices were low on staff at the moment, due to workers needing to isolate or being diagnosed with COVID.
Dr Garra said the “the biggest issue” facing medical clinics was people contacting them and asking what to do, in regards to taking a RAT.
“The government is not giving much practical advice to people,” he said.
Dr Garra said authorities needed to provide clearer guidelines on how to use RATs; how to interpret RAT results; and what to do if someone tested positive to a RAT.
“RATs are good to confirm you gave got COVID, but they are not great at telling you that you don’t have it – if you test negative, you could still have COVID,” he said.
Also on Monday, the state government announced a $1.2 million program to help people from multicultural backgrounds access COVID-19 vaccinations.
In total, eight Victorian community organisations, including the Junubi Wyndham Community Support Group, will deliver tailored support to engage people online and at shopping centres, and coordinate pop-up vaccination hubs.
The Junubi group, which assists South Sudanese youth and families, is based at the Wyndham Community and Education Centre.
