COVID-19 update 346 | 07/02/2022

Dear colleagues,

• Move to Tier 3
• Check In Qld
• Staff PCR and RAT services
• Hospital entry direction
• Fit testing and fit checking

Today there are 4701 reported new cases of COVID-19 in Queensland.

School has started today, so congratulations to all the families sending children to school or high school for the first time.

Move to Tier 3 

Today we have moved to Tier 3 in our COVID-19 response plan, due to lower reported community transmission, and fewer hospitalisations and staff out of the workplace as COVID positive or close contacts.

While this allows us to resume some planned care, this needs to be done in a managed way. Our priority is still on ensuring we have adequate staff and resources for our COVID response work such as fever clinics, COVID patient care, and vaccination centres.

We will resume semi-urgent and long wait category 2 planned care, with the preference for virtual appointments where possible.

Key points in Tier 3:

• Only urgent elective surgery and procedures to deploy staff to COVID-related care.
• Outpatient appointments to be virtual, only urgent face to face where virtual is not clinically appropriate.
• Visitors per CHO direction.
• No students or volunteers onsite.
• Virtual meetings only, suspension of non-essential meetings.
• No face to face training, essential training to be delivered virtually.

Check In Qld 

The Premier has today announced that the Check In Qld app is no longer mandatory at venues not covered under the vaccination mandate.

Check in is still required at healthcare facilities and entertainment and hospitality venues where proof of vaccination must be provided.

Staff PCR and RAT services 

The RBWH Education Centre staff RAT collection and PCR testing site moving to the public RNA Showgrounds site this week.

Each directorate will be managing RAT distribution for their staff. You can collect a RAT kit from the Metro North staff collection site closest to your home if needed.

• Community & Oral Health – Brighton Wellness Hub, 19^th Avenue Brighton, Monday to Friday 2pm-4pm. Asymptomatic close contact staff only. RAT collection only.
• TPCH – Outpatients B, 7 days 8am-12pm. RAT and PCR available. Staff can also attend the public fever clinic at Building 26, Hamilton Rd, and speak to the concierge.
• Caboolture Hospital – staff carpark, 7 days 7.30am-3.30pm, PCR and RAT available. RAT kits also available after hours from EOC (phone 5316 5014), hospital coordinators, or ED triage if all other options not available.
• STARS – weekdays 8am-4pm phone 3647 7026 to arrange RAT collection, weekends call after hours nurse manager on 3647 7011 to arrange collection.
• Redcliffe – fever clinic near main entrance, 7 days 9am-4pm, PCR testing (speak to concierge)
• RBWH – today and tomorrow: Education Centre, 9am-4.15pm, RAT and PCR available. (PCR available till Sunday)
• RBWH – from Wednesday: RNA Showgrounds, Gate 5 O’Connell Tce, 7 days hours, RAT collection (PCR from Monday 14 Feb).

For the latest opening staff testing hours and locations please visit the Metro North extranet. Please bring your staff ID and Medicare cards.

A full list of alternate COVID-19 testing services open to the public is updated daily and can be found on the Queensland Health fever clinic site. Staff can also visit any of these sites.

Hospital entry direction 

The Hospital Entry Direction (No.11) has been updated over the weekend, to allow exemptions to be considered for hospital staff returning from overseas. You must apply for an exemption via the Queensland Health exemptions portal.

To do make your return to work easier, please follow these steps:  

1. Submit your exemption request via the Queensland Government exemptions portal. 
2. Email the details of your request and your application reference number (RITM) to your directorate EOC, including your proposed return to work date. This will be provided to Metro North EOC. 
3. Metro North EOC will liaise with Health Directions and communicate the application outcome as soon as it is known. 

Fit testing and fit checking 

Metro North Health is committed to prioritising fit testing for all our frontline staff. Please check the fit testing schedule on the extranet for local information.

The National Guideline, referenced in the Queensland Health guideline, recommends that you do a fit check every time you don an N95 mask to ensure you have a good seal. In an emergent situation, if your fitted mask cannot be located, please escalate to your team leader/hospital coordinator. A fit checked P2/N95 can be worn, as a last resort, until you are fit tested. You should not participate in aerosol generating procedures if you are not wearing a fit tested mask.

If you have any concerns about fit testing, you can submit them via the fit testing feedback portal. Urgent issues should be escalated to your supervisor and local EOC for resolution.

Thank you for your work.

Regards,

Louise O’Riordan
Metro North Health Incident Controller

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Helpful links

• Register your positive RAT result
• Upload evidence of your vaccine
• Qld Health contact tracing list
• Register for your vaccine
• Qld Health general COVID-19 page
• Metro North COVID-19 extranet
• COVID vidcast recordings on QHEPS

Metro North HHS – overview of cases*

Norfolk Island – overview of cases****

*As at the above date
**Metro North Health has 22 recorded deaths (one person a return traveller into NSW, who passed away in NSW)
*** These numbers reflect the cases being managed by Metro North Health.
**** As part of an Intergovernmental Agreement, from 1 January 2022 Metro North Health is providing a number of health support services to Norfolk Island. This includes advice and support to staff on island in terms of managing COVID patients.  The numbers in this section of the table refer to COVID patients who remain on Norfolk Island and are receiving direct care by staff on Norfolk Island.