THE Wimmera's health resources would be 'stretched' if a mass coronavirus outbreak was to happen in the region, a health service chief says.
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Wimmera Health Care Group chief executive Catherine Morley said, while Horsham's Wimmera Base Hospital did have a negative pressure room, it didn't have enough isolation rooms if it received a mass influx of infected patients.
"If we get an outbreak here and have to treat ten patients at once, our resources would be stretched, and we wouldn't have the infrastructure or equipment to deal with it," she said.
"We have been preparing and talking about it every day since the outbreak first started. We've been keeping up-to-date with all the guidelines sent out by government health departments."
Her comments come after the World Health Organisation declared the coronavirus a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on Friday. It is the fifth time in history that an emergency of this nature has been declared.
The Victorian Department of Heath and Services issued a warning on Friday requesting people who had travelled to China's Hubei Province in the last 14 days to "self-isolate at home and avoid public settings for 14 days after leaving Hubei Province, and seek medical assistance if (they) become unwell during this time".
As of 9.30am on February 2, 12 cases of virus had been confirmed in Australia: two in South Australia, two in Queensland, four in Victoria, and four in New South Wales.
Wimmera Health Care Group infection control co-ordinator Jenny Vague said she was confident Wimmera Base Hospital would be able to manage an outbreak "to a point".
"If we were to get a case here, we would use containment measures guided by the health department; we have a great infection control procedure," she said.
"In the current climate, it is unlikely that we will have a case here. But if anyone in the region has travelled to China in the last 14 days and are unwell, they need to seek medical help. Our immediate response would be to put a mask on them, isolate them and do the appropriate tests."
Mrs Vague said good hand and respiratory hygiene was crucial to preventing the spread of disease.
"It is important that people practice good hygiene. Those simple things like washing hands, using sanitiser and disposing of tissues properly are simple things but they matter," she said.
West Wimmera Health Service chief executive Ritchie Dodds said Nhill Hospital had a negative pressure room to deal with infected patients.
"The room reduces the risk of any bugs or germs spreading to the rest of the hospital," he said.
"We are making sure our clinicians are aware of the signs of the disease and of our procedures. We have plenty of masks here for infected patients.
"It is unlikely that someone would present here, but definitely possible with the high number of international tourists we get in the region."
Mr Dodds said West Wimmera Health Service was working with the region's other health services to plan and share resources.
"We don't want people to panic and it's being dealt with at state and federal levels; hopefully it will pass as quickly as it came," he said.
East Grampians Health Services medical services director Sophie Ping said the service was planning for possible cases.
"East Grampians Health Service and the Ararat Medical Centre continue to update our planned responses to possible cases of coronavirus as new information is provided by the state and federal Departments of Health," she said.
"This is an evolving situation, and therefore our responses need to remain flexible. We would like to reassure the Ararat community and Grampians region as a whole that we are liaising with our partner health services in order to continue to provide the best care possible."
A cultural exchange between schools in Hong Kong and Horsham was postponed due to concerns about putting the students under "unnecessary risk" of contracting the coronavirus.
Horsham's Holy Trinity Lutheran College sent a letter to families on Thursday advising them of the decision.
Twenty students from Lutheran sister schools in Hong Kong were expected to arrive in mid-February, while year six and year 11 students from Horsham were due to travel to China in March.
In a letter to public hospital and health services on Wednesday, Victorian Department of Health and Human Services deputy secretary Terry Symonds said everyone who presented to hospital with the virus should be treated free of charge.
"Patients from overseas who do not have private insurance and are not eligible to be treated for this condition under Medicare rules may present at public hospitals," he said.
"To protect public health and minimise the potential barriers for continuing care, bit inpatient and outpatient services related to the coronavirus should be provided free of charge top all people presenting to public hospitals an health services in Victoria, regardless of eligibility or residency status."
Symptoms of coronavirus include fever with a cough, sore throat or shortness of breath.
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