HIGH-pressure on the city's major hospital should be a timely warning for people to take preventative care in the face of dangerous new Omicron strains, a leading epidemiologist says.
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Grampians Health Ballarat Base Hospital has returned to normal operations this week after being forced to channel more resources into the most critical care at the weekend and on Monday. This was due to high numbers in the emergency department, coupled with a spike in patients with a respiratory-like illness.
This was the second code yellow issued for Ballarat within three months and came a week after similar lengthy delays for emergency care in Albury Wodonga's hospital.
Deakin University epidemiology lead Catherine Bennett said we should prepare for more people to be hospitalised with a COVID-19 infection this winter as new Omicron strains took hold. These evolved COVID-19 strains, known as BA.4 and BA.5, are stickier and more likely to reach the lungs compared to earlier, prevalent strains.
And immunity from past infections was not likely - even for people who had recovered well.
Professor Bennett said the best way to avoid needing hospital care and adding pressure to a stretched system was to prevent catching COVID-19: ensure COVID-19 and influenza were up-to-date; wear masks indoors; hygiene and social distance.
She also pointed to new Australian data on COVID-19 waves showing the virus was seriously impacting more younger people without co-morbidities.
"All these things matter a bit more now," Professor Bennett said.
"These new variants are that bit faster and that means re-infections. If you haven't had COVID-19 yet, it pushes up your risk, and equally if you have been infected this does not make you immune from the new strains.
"...Earlier [Omicron] variants tended to be more upper respiratory with sore throats but when the infection gets into the lungs, you can end up needing hospital care."
Professor Bennett said Australia-wide ventilator numbers for COVID-19 patients were low and while hospitalisation and deaths were not leaping up in a massive spike, the gradual rise in Victoria suggested new strains were taking a toll.
The office of Victoria's chief health officer identified a rise in new Omicron variants, detected by wastewater samples, from five per cent to 17 per cent in the past month. These strains were first found in regional Victorian wastewater in April and are predicted to become the state's dominant strains within weeks.
Ballarat recorded 145 new COVID-19 infections on Tuesday with 801 known active infections.
Professor Bennett had previously flagged in The Courier case numbers could not be trusted, due to proven under-reporting.
She reiterated the importance of everyone doing their part to prevent the spread to the most vulnerable community members, especially as infections from the new strains built up speed in Ballarat's peak flu season.
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