Sydney hospitals are setting up emergency tents when COVID-19 cases hit record highs

SYDNEY, Aug 26 (Reuters) – Australia’s new daily COVID-19 cases surpassed 1,000 on Thursday for the first time since the global pandemic began, as two major hospitals in Sydney set up outdoor emergency to help cope with the increase in patients.

Sydney, the country’s largest city and the epicenter of the current outbreak, is struggling to eliminate the rapidly expanding Delta variant increase, with daily infections reaching record levels even after two months of blockade .

The state of New South Wales (NSW), where Sydney is the capital, reported 1,029 new cases acquired locally, surpassing the previous record of 919 a day earlier. Of the new cases, 969 were detected in Sydney, in addition to 838.

The rapid rise in COVID-19 patients has forced Sydney’s Westmead and Blacktown Hospitals, which serve the city’s vast western suburbs, to erect tents and dry out patients to help control capacity.

The makeshift emergency service unit for patients with COVID-19 will help “unload the delays,” a spokesman for Western Sydney’s local health district told Reuters.

State Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian said authorities had quadrupled the number of intensive care fans in the state to 2,000 earlier last year. While the system is “under pressure,” it can withstand the current crisis once vaccination rates rise, he said.

“It may be different from the help you got earlier because of the situation, but please know that the system is up and running,” Berejiklian said at a televised press conference.

Of the 116 people in intensive care in NSW, 102 are not vaccinated. Three new deaths were reported, including a man in his thirties who died at home and caused the death of the latest outbreak at 79, although the mortality rate has dropped since last year.

In a video posted to Twitter on Wednesday night, the Paramedic Association of Australia said paramedics could choose to wait in their vehicles with infected people or “wait outside in the icy rain” due to the increase in patients .

The rapid Delta strain has wiped out Australia’s first anti-virus success that kept its coronavirus figures relatively low, with some 47,700 cases and 989 deaths. About 32% of people over the age of 16 have been completely vaccinated, while just over 54% have had at least one dose.

In addition to Sydney, the country’s second largest city, Melbourne, and the capital, Canberra, are also in strong closures, putting more than half of the country’s 25 million population under strict residence orders. at home.

Cases in Victoria, Melbourne’s home, rose to 80 on Thursday, up from 45 the day before.

The federal government is pushing ahead with plans to reopen the country once vaccination rates reach 70% to 80%, but some states have hinted that they could be delayed given the rapid growth of cases in Sydney. Read more

Berejiklian said NSW could be fully vaccinated 70% by mid-October, and Qantas (QAN.AX) said it was preparing to resume international travel in December.

Also Thursday, the Woolworths Group (WOW.AX) supermarket reported an increase in annual profits as foreclosures sparked demand for household basics. Read more

Reports of Renju Jose; Edited by Gerry Doyle and Richard Pullin

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