By Dominique Tassell
Elective surgeries have recommenced in local hospitals after pausing due to rising Covid-19 cases.
A Darling Downs Health (DDH) spokesperson stated that “we are currently experiencing significant demand for our services due to an increase of Covid-19 and Influenza cases in the community.”
“Our health workers are not immune to this current wave of infections which has also impacted our available workforce.
“To help cope with this demand, rural elective surgeries were temporarily postponed for two weeks.”
Warwick and Stanthorpe Hospitals were affected by the pause, but it is understood they have recommenced as of Monday 18 July.
The DDH spokesperson stated that “we’d like to thank Southern Downs residents for their understanding during this time as we work hard to keep our community safe and healthy”.
“Please be kind and patient with our staff, who have been contacting patients this week to reschedule their procedures.
“It’s also important to remember that despite an increased demand, our hospitals across the Darling Downs are open.
“We don’t want people to put off coming to the hospital for emergency care.
“If you are unsure of what course of treatment you should follow if you are sick or injured, then you can contact 13HEALTH for advice.”
There were 11,687 new Covid-19 cases reported in Queensland this morning, with 1034 people currently in hospital and 21 currently in the ICU.
There is a total of 1,426,054 Covid-19 cases in Queensland, with 92.8 per cent of the population fully vaccinated.
The Southern Downs area has a reported 2,898 cases of Covid-19, with 40 new cases announced this morning.
