![\"Metro](\"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/extranet\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/04\/mn-health-incident-controller2.jpg\" "\\"Metro")
<\/span><\/div>Dear colleagues,<\/p>\n
I hope you all enjoyed the weekend! We\u00a0have\u00a0been having some perfect weather\u00a0at the moment,\u00a0and I\u2019m sure many of you enjoyed spending some time outside!\u00a0I am not a lover of the colder\u00a0months,\u00a0so I am enjoying these sunny days.<\/p>\n
One new case of COVID-19 has been\u00a0confirmed in Queensland overnight, bringing our State\u2019s total of active cases to 27.\u00a0This\u00a0person has been identified as a close contact to the correctional services training centre cluster\u00a0and contact tracing is underway. Again, we do not have evidence of unknown transmission happening in our community today, but we\u00a0have to\u00a0be alert to the\u00a0possibility of that over\u00a0the\u00a0coming weeks.\u00a0Please be vigilant.<\/p>\n
Here are a few updates for today:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Wearing masks<\/li>\n
- Vidcast update<\/li>\n
- Physical distancing reminder<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Wearing masks<\/strong><\/p>\n
We continue to get quite a few mask and PPE-related questions on the\u00a0vidcasts. We have\u00a0a number of\u00a0useful resources\u00a0on the\u00a0COVID-19 extranet site<\/a>, so please familiarise yourself with these when you can. You don\u2019t need to be on a Queensland Health computer to access this site, so send yourself the link\u00a0if you\u2019d like to read through it at home.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re doing more than the minimum\u00a0requirement\u00a0at Metro North regarding masks, and we\u00a0are\u00a0doing this because we believe it\u2019s necessary to keep both staff and patients safe.\u00a0If anything changes in this space, we will communicate that with you.\u00a0For the time being, all staff are required to wear a mask at work.\u00a0We will update you if that advice changes, but for the moment it is a requirement which we all must abide to.\u00a0Thank you so much to all for doing the right thing and not only protecting yourself but your co-workers.<\/p>\n
On another note, when leaving work for the day, can I please ask you to consider how you\u00a0are\u00a0disposing of your mask. Please make sure it is placed securely into a bin and that you wash your hands with soap and water or alcohol rub afterwards.<\/p>\n
Vidcast\u00a0update<\/strong><\/p>\n
Thank you to those who tuned into our\u00a0vidcast\u00a0this morning. This week the\u00a0Executive and Incident Commander\u00a0vidcasts\u00a0will run on Wednesday and Friday, as well as one day over the weekend. There will also be a special \u2018tips and tricks\u2019\u00a0vidcast\u00a0tomorrow with Catherine Watson,\u00a0Anna Dowe\u00a0and Meaghan Poulton who will provide some hints to help\u00a0make wearing\u00a0your mask easier \u2013 it will be a great\u00a0vidcast\u00a0so please tune in tomorrow at 11\u00a0am!\u00a0As always, if you\u00a0are\u00a0not\u00a0able to\u00a0tune into the live session, you can view the\u00a0COVID-19 vidcasts online<\/a>.\u00a0Could I also suggest that if you have any suggestions for\u00a0Vidcasts\u00a0that you think would assist then please let us know and we will do our best to get the appropriate expert to speak to you!!<\/p>\n
Physical distancing\u00a0reminder<\/strong><\/p>\n
I know there are some instances where physical distancing isn\u2019t possible (such as on public transport), but please try to stand 1.5 m apart from others where you can.\u00a0It might sound simple but standing a few inches away from someone isn\u2019t enough. You need to be 1.5 m or 150 cm distanced from those around you. As Queensland Health pointed out on Facebook, this distance is about three small\u00a0Frenchies\u00a0long. If you\u2019re standing only one or two\u00a0Frenchies\u00a0away from someone, you are too close!<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nThe weekend was particularly busy for the MN EC team and while I was having some down time,\u00a0they were working exceptionally hard.\u00a0There are so many people in MN who are working above and beyond what would normally be expected of them\u00a0and so while I was having a much wanted weekend off, I had an opportunity to reflect on what we have achieved in MN and in Queensland more broadly.\u00a0So today my quote reflects how I feel about what we have been doing and what we have\u00a0yet to achieve.<\/p>\n
\u201cStart by doing what is necessary, then what is possible and suddenly you are doing the impossible\u201d.<\/em>\u00a0I think this is very reflective of the health system and\u00a0in particular\u00a0what\u00a0we\u00a0in\u00a0MN\u00a0are challenged with.\u00a0Keep up the great work.\u00a0We are kicking goals, even though sometimes it feels like\u00a0one\u00a0step forward and\u00a0two\u00a0steps back.\u00a0Keep doing what you are doing, keep patting yourself and your colleagues on the back and\u00a0remember every now and then to take a breath\u00a0(albeit with a mask on)!!!\u00a0Additionally, if you are not okay or\u00a0you feel\u00a0your colleagues are struggling then there are many options open to you and we strongly suggest that you use what is\u00a0available.\u00a0Keep checking up on each other, we are the caring professions and so let us treat our colleagues with the dignity, respect and compassion that we treat our patients with every day.<\/p>\n
I will be handing over to Liz tomorrow until Friday, so for now I\u2019ll say good-bye and have a great week! I\u00a0will\u00a0speak to you all again on Friday.<\/p>\n
Kind regards,
\nDr Elizabeth Rushbrook
\nMetro North Incident Commander<\/p>\nMetro North HHS \u2013 Overview of Cases*<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n\n
\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
HHS<\/strong><\/td>\n
Patients being managed by HHS<\/strong><\/td>\n FEVER Clinics<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Total\u00a0In-patients<\/strong><\/td>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
Virtual Ward \/ HITH \/ or similar<\/strong><\/td>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
Deaths<\/strong><\/p>\n
**<\/strong><\/td>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Total cases managed by HHS (including recovered)<\/strong><\/p>\n
***<\/strong><\/td>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
#<\/strong><\/p>\n
of clinics<\/strong><\/td>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Presentations<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n <\/td>\n ICU Pts<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n ICU-NOT Ventilated<\/strong><\/td>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n ICU-Ventilated<\/strong><\/td>\n
Last 24 hrs<\/strong><\/td>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n TOTAL^<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n \u202f\u202fMN TOTAL<\/td>\n \u202f\u202f\u00a00<\/td>\n 0<\/td>\n 0<\/td>\n 0<\/td>\n 3<\/td>\n 342<\/td>\n 6<\/td>\n 877<\/td>\n 77,045<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n *With effect\u202f31\u202fAugust\u202f2020,\u202f1000<\/p>\n
**Metro North has three\u202frecorded deaths\u202f(one person a return traveller into NSW, who passed away in NSW)<\/p>\n
*** These numbers reflect the cases being managed by Metro North.<\/p>\n<\/div>
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