Albury Wodonga Health's preparations for a rampant coronavirus spread includes the potential need for 2250 intensive care beds.
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More ventilators and protective gear is also coming from Australian and overseas suppliers, but the six existing ICU beds at Albury hospital have to be dramatically increased with the decision to cancel non-urgent surgery assisting partly.
"War room" planning also include the establishment of links with GP clinics, private hospitals and educating staff on how to respond in a period which has been described by clinician, Dr Jonathan Lewin, as the "quiet before the storm".
"We know it's coming probably in about a week or two to the hospital and I think then it's going to get very scary for us if I am honest," he said.
"Nobody in the world can be adequately prepared.
"It's not something we suddenly started to think about last week.
"We are ahead of the game, but there is still work to be done.
"We will still have patients with cancer, we will still have patients with broken legs, we will have medical patients with heart attacks and how we manage all those patients as well as virus patients is one of the challenges we face."
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"We have 90,000 people in Albury-Wodonga and if half of us contract this virus we are going to need 9000 hospital beds and 2250 intensive care beds," Dr Lewin said.
"AWH has been hard at work preparing for this pandemic and these numbers of beds will increase in days ahead, but when these beds are full, anyone without a bed, who needs one, will die.
"We've seen that it doubles every three days and if that is allowed to continue here in Albury we will become overwhelmed and that is the truth.
"The only way to prevent this is by not spreading the virus and the only way to limit its spread is by isolating ourselves, young and old.
"We are asking you please stay at home, don't go out unless absolutely necessary.
"Remember to wash your hands after you have touched anything outside of your home."
Dr Barb Robertson said much needed supplies, which were being sourced via the Victorian government, were due shortly.
"It's arriving in dribs and drabs now, but there are big amounts coming," she said.
AWH pandemic chief Sally Squire said the hospital's planning couldn't be more thorough.
"We've been undertaking this planning and preparation for a number of weeks, nearly a month, around our response," she said.
"We've been looking at our bed availability and the strategy around reducing our elective surgeries has been one of those and making sure we have a workforce fully equipped to address any potential impacts or admissions relating to COVID."
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