By medical reporter Sophie Scott and the Specialist Reporting Team's Mary Lloyd
Posted8 hours ago, updated4 hours ago
WATCHDuration: 4 minutes 26 seconds4m 26s
The data shows most Victorian healthcare workers acquired a COVID-19 infection from work
The Victorian Government says about "70 to 80 per cent" of healthcare workers infected with COVID-19 during the state's second wave of infections caught it at work.
Key points:
The new data came today after Victorian Government previously estimated only "10 to 15 per cent" of COVID-19 cases in healthcare workers had been acquired at work
So far this month an average of 33 healthcare workers a day have been infected with COVID-19
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said he was introducing new personal protective equipment measures to help protect healthcare workers
In what one medical advocate group described as "frightening" and "alarming" numbers, Victoria's Chief Medical Officer Andrew Wilson today revealed the long-awaited data as the number of healthcare workers who have contracted COVID-19 climbed to 2,692.
Dr Wilson said more than half of those infections reported by healthcare workers across the state occurred in aged care. In hospitals, 70 per cent of infections were among nurses.
The State Government previously estimated only 10 to 15 per cent of COVID-19 cases among the state's healthcare workers had been acquired at work.
It said the rest of the infections happened in the community.
The data, part of a nine-page document released by the Victorian Government today, shows only about 20 per cent of healthcare workers who caught the virus during the first wave, earlier in the year, contracted it at work.
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The data also revealed 117 healthcare workers were hospitalised during the pandemic so far, 12 were admitted to intensive care and there was one death, a disability nurse.
Australian Medical Association Victoria president Julian Rait said the latest data validated their concerns.
"The Government has been complacent," he said.
"It's very disappointing that despite calls from many in the health sector to strengthen protocols [regarding personal protective equipment], they only began to do it more recently.
"Healthcare workers have been pointing to this as a problem for two to three months."
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Victorian Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick said while she was pleased to see infection rates among healthcare workers falling recently, she said she wanted to see more detailed data.
"We want to see [whether] those infected picked up the virus from patients or whether the disease was transmitted among staff members," she said.
"In order to progress strategy and direction, that detail is going to be critical.
"Nonetheless, it is a frightening and alarming number."
Many workers in the sector have spoken to the ABC over the past two weeks, criticising the Victorian Government's previous estimate that only 10 to 15 per cent of COVID-19 cases among the state's healthcare workers had been picked up at work.
The Victorian Government says 2,692 healthcare workers have contracted COVID-19.(ABC News: Jeremy Story Carter)
Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said the lower numbers in its previous estimate came as many cases were still "under investigation".
"For the cases that had been determined, of all of those under investigation, they represented a minority," Dr Sutton said.
"But as we've got the fuller picture and determined for all of those cases the great majority of those cases [we now know] the setting where it's been picked up.
"[And] it shouldn't surprise us."
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Dr Wilson said aged care workers and nurses were, by far, the most common group.
"There's more of them in our system [and] they provide much closer care to the patients."
On the back of the data, the Victorian Government announced a range of measures to reduce healthcare worker infections.
Workers will have greater access to N95 masks in emergency departments, intensive care units, aged care facilities and COVID-19 wards, it said.
Designated spotters will also help monitor the proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said the measures were designed to better protect healthcare workers.
"My message to every healthcare worker [is]: If you get coronavirus at work, put in a WorkCover claim straight away," he said.
"It will be fast-tracked and we will get you the support you need."
The ABC understands many healthcare workers want personal protective equipment to be properly fit-tested to make sure masks work for each individual.
But Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said fit-testing was a subject of some debate.
"We are going to have a pilot program at Northern Health [in Epping, in Melbourne's north] to look at fit testing being used there," she said.
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