Southern hospitals were in desperate straits last night, as staff from all disciplines were reassigned from their usual duties to treat sick patients. Te Whatu Ora Southern (the former Southern District Health Board) interim district director Hamish Brown said that Dunedin and Southland Hospitals were both running at high capacity. "This situation has been exacerbated due to high levels of staff illness across all hospitals, including rural hospitals," he said. Brown said the city hospitals were taking patients to help out their rural counterparts, which placed additional pressure on capacity at Dunedin and Southland Hospitals. Yesterday southern hospitals were also caring for 33 people who had Covid-19, a caseload which meant that the designated pandemic wards were full.

Source: Otago Daily Times July 08, 2022 03:52 UTC