COVID-19 Update: More elective surgeries from next week in Victoria

This is your update on COVID-19 in Australia for February 16.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews speaks to the media during a press conference in Melbourne, Wednesday, February 16, 2022. (AAP Image/James Ross) NO ARCHIVING

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews. Source: AAP Image/James Ross

More elective surgeries will take place from Monday 21 February in Melbourne and regional Victoria, with a view of re-establishing the 100% capacity the following week, if COVID-19 patients in hospital continue to decrease.
"With hospitalisations steadily declining and staff availability improving, we're in a strong position to remove the remaining restrictions" said the Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley.
"All of these rules are being reviewed, and I look forward to making some positive announcements soon", said the Victorian premier Daniel Andrews this morning.
Infections among Queensland children continue to increase but Health Minister Yvette D'Ath reassures "schools are still managing very well" and no quarantine or closure has been necessary.
"Vaccination has completely changed the face of this disease" said Queensland's Chief Health Officer John Gerrard, saying that what role COVID-19 plays in leading to the deaths reported daily is often hard to determine.
The Australian Medical Association and the Nursing and Midwifery Union are calling for a code brown to be formally declared in the Northern Territory.

Covid-19 Australian Stats

New South Wales reported 1,478 patients hospitalised with 92 in intensive care. There were 27 deaths, and 10,463 new cases of COVID-19.

In Victoria, 397 people are in hospital with 68 in ICU and 13 on ventilators. There were 18 deaths and 8,149 new infections.

In Queensland, there were 6,596 new COVID-19 cases and 12 deaths. In the public hospital system there are 404 patients with COVID-19, in addition to 28 patients in private hospitals, with a total number of 38 patients in intensive care.

Tasmania has recorded no deaths with 625 new COVID-19 cases. 13 people are in hospital with COVID-19, two of them in ICU.

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