About 100 Goulburn Valley Health staff have returned to work “under certain circumstances” since a Code Brown emergency setting was announced, chief executive Matt Sharp said.
The number of staff furloughed as a result of COVID-19 has dropped to 61, compared to 160 on Tuesday, January 18.
Mr Sharp announced GV Health had also filled about 10 to 15 job vacancies, freeing up some extra COVID-19 vaccination appointments for boosters and vaccinations for five to 11-year-olds.
“I’m really grateful for the GV Health staff, particularly those who were close contacts that are now able to return to work under certain circumstances,” Mr Sharp said.
“That’s really allowing us to continue to provide the services we do.”
There are currently 21 patients admitted to GV Health with COVID-19, compared to 17 on Tuesday.
Of those, two are in critical care but are not on ventilators.
Across the Goulburn Valley public health unit, 252 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded on Thursday.
Of those, 71 were in Shepparton, 37 were in Moira Shire, and 71 were in Mitchell Shire.
In total, there are 2722 active cases across the public health unit.
Mr Sharp said it was the third day in a row when around 200 cases had been reported, hinting at a possible plateau.
“It’s an encouraging trend,” he said.
But the Code Brown emergency trigger is expected to last for the next four to six weeks, depending on case numbers.
“The case numbers may come down in terms of what we’re reporting, but the pressure on the hospital systems and the broader health system will persist for a number of weeks after that,” Mr Sharp said.
“It will be something to monitor.”
Asked if there may be a spike in cases this weekend as a result of the Shepparton Spring Car Nationals, Mr Sharp said it was “quite possible” but it was one of many community events that could cause a higher rate of coronavirus transmission.
“I would encourage people to not lose sight and remember to do all of those little things like wear masks, keep your distance, sanitise,” he said.
“They all make a difference.”
The Code Brown emergency setting came into place at noon on Wednesday, January 19, after the Victorian Government made the announcement on Tuesday.
As result, a number of services at GV Health have been scaled or shut down in order to direct staff to more critical areas.
Mr Sharp said Thursday that the majority of those services were in the hospital’s community health area, including rehabilitation and dental services.
“We do have staff who have clinical or health-related qualifications working in quality care or our education teams,” he said.
“We’ve pulled right back on those services.”
Victorian COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar told reporters on Thursday morning that there were 3900 health care workers unable to work due to COVID-19.
Across the state, there are 1206 COVID-19 patients in hospital. Of those, 122 are in ICU and 40 are on ventilators.