Victorian COVID-19 commander Jeroen Weimar reported from Bendigo on Thursday and said the state’s hospitalisations were declining.
“We do think we’re past the peak at this point,” he said.
“We peaked at around 1500 hospitalisations about two weeks ago, we’re now at around 750.”
However, Mr Sharp said GV Health had consistently had about 15 to 20 patients hospitalised for a few weeks now.
“They’re not declining for us, they’re more plateauing,” he said on Thursday.
“I think we’ll continue to see admissions at GV Health in that 15 to 20 range every day.”
GV Health recorded close to 2400 active cases of coronavirus across the local public health unit, including 387 new cases.
More than 900 of those active cases were in Shepparton.
Mr Sharp said daily case numbers had slightly risen as a result of surveillance testing at schools this week.
“Although, pleasingly, the case numbers are starting to reduce overall, we have seen a little bit of an uplift in the last two or three days,” he said.
“This surveillance program (has been) a big driver in terms of what’s led to that little up-tick in case numbers.”
Vaccination rates too low
Mr Sharp said vaccination rates for those eligible for a third dose of a vaccine and for children aged five to 11 were still too low.
In GV Health’s public health unit, 39 per cent of people aged 18 and older are now vaccinated with three doses of a vaccine, and 40 per cent of children aged five to 11 have received a first dose.
He said getting vaccinated was vital to avoid contracting COVID-19 and becoming really unwell.
“Those numbers are really quite low in terms of where we’d like them to be,” Mr Sharp said.
In response, St Georges Road Primary School is hosting a pop-up vaccination clinic, open 9am to 3pm on Saturday and Sunday (February 5 and 6).
Children aged five to 11 can get a first dose of a vaccine, anyone eligible can receive a booster, and anyone aged 12 or over can get a first or second dose of a vaccine.
“There’s plenty of opportunities for people to get their third dose or first dose of vaccination,” Mr Sharp said.
Staffing shortages continue
More than 80 staff at GV Health are still furloughed and another 60 full-time positions are vacant.
“We’re working really hard to close that gap,” Mr Sharp said.
With hospitalisation rates steady in the Goulburn Valley, Mr Sharp said he expected the Code Brown alert to stay in place until at least the third or fourth week of February.
“It’s something the Department of Health will make a judgment on,” he said.
“But individual hospitals have their own discretion to continue operating under a Code Brown.”
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