Coronavirus crisis: Health Minister Roger Cook warns of complacency despite hospital system only at 50 per cent capacity

The West Australian
Camera IconWA Health Minister Roger Cook said that while hospitals are far from overflowing at the moment they must prepare for the worst. Credit: Simon Santi/The West Australian

WA’s public hospital system is at 50 per cent capacity as the State continues to gear up in the fight against COVID-19 Minister for Health Roger Cook said today.

Mr Cook told 6PR this morning it was simply the “calm before the storm” at this stage but hospitals were ready to receive virus infected patients.

He said $15 million had been allocated to secure 200 more intensive care unit beds which could be added into the health system.

Mr Cook did not yet have the new numbers of coronavirus cases to report but said he was pleased with the current situation.

In the past few days the number of new West Australian cases reported, not including the Artania, has dropped below 30 and in some days less than 10 — even after the State’s testing regime was expanded.

Read more...

“One of the aspects of making sure we have these low numbers each day … when we push the curve out, it gives us another day to prepare the system,” Mr Cook said.

“We’re about flattening the curve and pushing the peak out, so we’ve been extremely successful with that.

“So that means the experience of the virus will go on for longer but we’ll have less people putting pressure on our hospitals.

“It’s about control and making sure we have got all the facilities we need for those who need care when they fall ill.”

The Minister said West Australians still needed to be realistic and not think the crisis would be over soon.

“We’re in it for the long haul, I think some people have had the misapprehension this will be a matter of some weeks, it’s not, it will be a matter of some months,” Mr Cook said.

Get the latest news from thewest.com.au in your inbox.

Sign up for our emails