Rampaging influenza cases across this city on top of a stubbornly high COVID-19 rate and mass staff furloughs have been crippling the Ballarat Base Hospital's emergency department.

Grampians Health hospitals chief operating officer Ben Kelly confirmed some people were choosing not to wait but this did not mean foregoing care entirely.

This comes as ABC News reported the number of people abandoning emergency medical care in Victoria had doubled in the past year amid overcrowding.

"We know that high demand is continuing across the state - we're not alone in this," Mr Kelly said.

"We have seen a number of people who have chosen not to wait in ED because of extended delays, however, we do have a process in place to review those patients and follow up with them if it is clinically necessary.

"High acuity (more serious illness) is particularly impacting our respiratory zone in ED which is seeing high numbers of patients presenting for COVID, suspected COVID (SCOVID), and with flu-like symptoms. Flu-like presentations have continued to increase in the last fortnight."

A fortnight ago The Courier reported presentations in flu-like illness to the city's major emergency department were up almost 50 per cent.

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Mr Kelly said being vaccinated against influenza and COVID-19 and continuing to take preventative precautions were key to help ease pressure on the emergency department.

Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley issued an urgent reminder for Ballarat people to only use the hospital emergency department "for what it's designed" - emergencies. He said the healthcare system was under unprecedented pressure with about one in five people presenting to emergency referred back to a general practitioner where primary care was also under strain.

"We are very concerned with the pressure that our health system particularly our emergency departments are under," Minister Foley said. "They are the interface points between the community response the primary care system is under stress and increasingly people are seeking care for all sorts of conditions.

"[COVID-19] numbers are high, influenza numbers are doubling week on week, our deferred care numbers continue to grow and we are seeing our emergency departments and the whole health system under pressure like never before."

Ballarat recorded 257 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday with 1566 known active infections. This flags a likely reprieve to last month's wave with known infections topping 2100 cases in the city.

Grampians Health encourage people to first consider alternative medical care for low-urgency issues, such as a GP, after-hours medical clinics, the 24-hour NURSE-ON-CALL hotline (1300 60 60 24) or the UFS Supercare pharmacy on Sturt Street which has a free nurse on site from 6pm to 10pm.

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