Thought this might be useful on the HC interesting ‘devil’s...

Thought this might be useful on the HC interesting ‘devil’s advocate’ Covid thread.
Thanks to contributors

cheers

Spoiler : Half WA Covid hospital admissions due to other  illness

https://thewest.com.au/news/coronav...use-of-another-illness-c-5885806#coral_thread
WA COVID update: Half of State’s COVID-19 patients in hospital are there because of another illness

Peter LawThe West Australian
Tue, 1 March 2022 6:12PM
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Peter Law


WA Premier Mark McGowan has credited a world-leading vaccination rate for “making an amazing difference” in WA’s hospitalisation rate. Credit: The West Australian

About half of the 17 COVID cases in hospital are there because of another illness, it has emerged as WA’s health system moves to “red alert” on Thursday.
An analysis by The West Australian also found the number of people currently in hospital with COVID is far lower than what most States recorded at similar stages of their outbreaks.
Tuesday’s 1179 new cases swelled the number of active infections in WA to almost 6000. Mark McGowan said 16 were in hospital and none in ICU, which he lauded as a “fantastic outcome”.

The hospital workforce was briefed later that there were 17 cases in hospital with COVID, before a staff member asked how many of these patients were “in hospital because of COVID or another illness”.

WA Health assistant director general Robyn Lawrence replied: “The best data we’ve got at the present time is that about 50 per cent of those currently in hospital are there because of their COVID.
“We are dependent on our staff in the hospitals providing that accurate information.
“Currently we’re double-checking, but it looks like about 50 per cent and that’s similar to what Tasmania has reported throughout their Omicron outbreak.”

WA Health director general David Russell-Weisz said reporting of COVID hospitalisations was consistent with the Eastern States.
“The other States very much said you can’t separate that easily — you’ve got to count all patients, whether it’s for (COVID) and with (COVID),” he said.
On Thursday, the health system moves from amber to red alert, resulting in a ban on all but essential visitors to hospitals.

WA Chief Health Officer Andy Robertson said essential visitors were deemed to be “spouses, parents or carers, birth partners or for compassionate reasons”.
He also said he expected level two restrictions, such as indoor mask mandates for children in Year 3 and above, would be required for “four to five weeks” and then WA would revert to level one measures.
Dr Robertson also said there was “no good evidence that masks harm that age group” and the mandate would result in fewer children being forced into isolation and home-schooling.

Earlier, Mr McGowan credited a world-leading vaccination rate for “making an amazing difference” in WA’s hospitalisation rate.

When SA reported 995 daily cases and 4889 active on December 28, there were already 36 in hospital.

The ACT had 1246 daily cases and 4511 active on January 7, of which 24 were in hospital.
The NT reported 1133 daily cases and 6576 active on February 2, at which point 129 were in hospital.

“We’re very hopeful that our hospitalisation rates will be lower and that’s because we put in place measures to keep people vaccinated,” Mr McGowan said.
“The Government intervened in ways other States haven’t in order to save lives and I think the evidence is there that the (vaccine mandate) measures we put in place have worked.
“But the advice is, from our health professionals, that the numbers will grow rapidly in hospital and we have to put these (social distancing) measures in place to save lives.”

Opposition leader Mia Davies said the Premier should have provided businesses more than just a few days’ notice about when the level two restrictions would begin.
“It screams to me that they seem to be going from one day to the next without any clear plan as to how we will get through the next four weeks,” she said.