Warrnambool Base Hospital responds to COVID-19 Delta threat, making changes to emergency department

On Friday South West Healthcare separated the emergency department into different zones. Any patients presenting to the ED who are positive or potential COVID cases will automatically be placed in an isolated area in the department.

The new measures were designed to isolate people who may be carrying the wildly infectious Delta variant from the rest of the staff and patients.

A spokesperson for SWH said they "continually review" their preparedness and the changes were a response to "the latest outbreak of Delta" and would "ensure SWH remains a safe place to work for our staff and for our patients to access care".

Staff continued to don full PPE for any patient who presents with symptoms such as a fever, cough or respiratory difficulty. Victorian government advice said anyone with symptoms should visit a testing facility.

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