COVID-19 update 335 | 27/01/2022
Louise O’Riordan Metro North Health Incident Controller
Dear colleagues,
- PPE and fit testing
- Working from home
- Wellbeing during COVID-19
- Booster vaccinations
Today there are 11,600 reported new cases of COVID-19 in Queensland.
PPE and fit testing
New fit testing times are being added every day. Please check the fit testing schedule on the extranet for local information.
Fit checking is required at the start of every shift to ensure your fit tested mask has a good seal. If you cannot see your fitted masks when you arrive for your shift, please contact your shift coordinator or hospital coordinator for stock.
The Australian Government’s Infection Control Expert Group advises ‘in situations where fit testing has not yet been carried out, and a P2/N95 respirator is recommended for use, a fit-checked P2/N95 respirator is preferred to a surgical mask’. See the Infection Control Expert Group Guidance on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers in the context of COVID-19 for details.
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.
Working from home
The current working from home arrangements will be extended until Sunday 13 February.
This allows us to minimise the number of people at our facilities while we manage the current COVID surge.
There are working from home and remote access resources on the working virtually section of the extranet. If you have specific questions about accessing your work systems while working from home, you can email DigitalMetroNorth@health.qld.gov.au.
For IT support, please contact eHealth via 1800 198 175 or through the Service Now portal.
Wellbeing during COVID-19
Our Chief Allied Health Practitioner Mark Butterworth and Staff Psychologist Drew Craker held a wellbeing vidcast today. If you weren’t able to watch live, the recording is now online.
One of the key support services for staff who need someone to talk to is the peer responder program. Please don’t wait to reach out for support.
The Metro North Culture and Wellbeing team is presenting 20-minute interactive sessions, on how we can support ourselves, each other, and our community by building a culture of resilience. The first session, 60-second farewell – go home better in a minute, will be hosted on Monday 31 January at 10am. You can find out how to join the session and a list of all future ones on the wellbeing extranet.
Links discussed in today’s vidcast:
- The King’s Fund (UK) – Responding to stress experienced by hospital staff working with COVID-19
- Values in Action QHEPS page
- Metro North wellbeing extranet page
Booster vaccinations
Booster vaccines are available for people over 18 at our vaccination clinics.
All our vaccination clinics take walk ins and bookings:
- Doomben community vaccination centre, ages 12+
- Caboolture Square community vaccination centre, ages 5+ (check days for 5-11 year olds)
- Kallangur First Nations vaccination clinic, ages 5+ (pop up clinic)
- Brighton Health Campus, ages 12+
- Kippa Ring community vaccination clinic, ages 5-11
Clinic locations and times are available via the Queensland Health website.
If you it has been three months since your second vaccination, you are now eligible for a booster. Details on how to record your booster are available on the extranet staff boosters page.
Kind regards,
Louise O’Riordan
Metro North Health Incident Controller
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Current Metro North Health tier activated – Tier 4
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*
| Patients managed by HHS | Fever clinics | ||||||
| Total in-patients | Virtual ward/ HITH/ similar | Deaths** | No. of clinics | Presentations | |||
| Total | ICU patients | Total^ | |||||
| ICU not ventilated | ICU ventilated | ||||||
| 153 | 9 | 3 | 1322 | 11 | 7 | 982 | |
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 | 3 | 85 | 0 | 11 | |
*As at the above date
**Metro North Health has 11 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.