Message from the Metro North Health Incident Controller – COVID-19 update 373 | 18/03/2022
Louise O’Riordan Metro North Health Incident Controller
Dear colleagues,
- COVID hotline & resources
- PPE requirements
- Returning from overseas
Today there are 6103 reported cases of COVID-19 in Queensland.
This week we have seen a slight increase in the number of people with COVID in our care. We are not seeing high numbers of the new Omicron BA.2 variant like our colleagues interstate but we are monitoring the situation.
It’s a timely reminder to keep up your COVID safe practices at work and when out in the community. Remember to wash or sanitise your hands, cover coughs and sneezes, stay home if you’re unwell, and wear a mask in crowded places.
COVID hotline & resources
The Metro North COVID HR hotline has been stood down.
Staff who test positive for COVID need to isolate for a minimum of seven days. You can leave isolation on Day 8 once symptoms have cleared.
Staff who are close contacts must quarantine for a minimum of seven days (the period restarts with every additional household member who tests positive). On return to work, you must wear a mask (surgical or N95 depending on your work area) for 14 days after exposure and avoid areas where masks are removed such as lunch rooms.
More details are available on the COVID extranet for:
PPE requirements
Just a reminder that masks are still mandatory for:
- Healthcare settings
- Residential aged care facilities
- Disability accommodation
- Correctional facilities
- While waiting for and on public transport
- In taxis and rideshares,
- At airports and on all domestic and international flights.
Metro North remains in the high risk category of the PPE guidelines. Please check the requirements for your type of work. Surgical masks are the minimum requirement for administration and non-clinical areas.
Returning from overseas
Staff returning from overseas must follow the requirements for entering Queensland and get approval from your local Incident Controller via your local EOC before returning to work if within 14 days of arrival.
Staff approved to return to work within 14 days must also return a negative rapid antigen test every second day for 7 days.
Kind regards,
Louise O’Riordan
Metro North Health Incident Controller
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Current Metro North Health tier activated – Tier 2
Helpful links
- Register your positive RAT result
- Upload evidence of your vaccine or booster
- Vaccination locations
- Qld Health general COVID-19 page
- Metro North COVID-19 extranet
- COVID vidcast recordings on QHEPS
Metro North HHS – overview of cases*
| Patients managed by HHS | Fever clinics | ||||||
| Total in-patients | Virtual ward/ HITH/ similar | Deaths** | No. of clinics | Presentations | |||
| Total | ICU patients | Yesterday | |||||
| ICU not ventilated | ICU ventilated | ||||||
| 37 | 3 | 0 | 326 | 47 | 3 | 198 | |
Norfolk Island – overview of cases***
| Patients managed by HHS | Close Contacts in quarantine | ||||||
| Total in-patients | Virtual ward/ HITH/ similar | Total cases including recovered | Deaths | ||||
| Total | ICU patients | ||||||
| ICU not ventilated | ICU ventilated | ||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 125 | 0 | 3 | |
*As at the above date
**Metro North Health has recorded deaths (one person a return traveller into NSW, who passed away in NSW)
*** 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.