‘Stressed’ Victorian hospitals brace for COVID’s third wave

Victorian hospitals are bracing for a third wave of seriously ill coronavirus patients, with staff shortages, workforce burnout and overrun emergency departments fuelling a crisis across the public health system. With the state recording 208 new coronavirus cases on Friday – and Premier Daniel Andrews warning that cases would continue to rise — senior doctors at Victoria’s hospitals are now reviewing their surge planning and reclaiming wards and other spaces for COVID beds.