Michaela Meade
Northern Hospital’s acting chief nursing and midwifery officer Lisa Cox wants the community to listen to those in the know when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine.
She said getting vaccinated was the community’s way of helping staff in the fight against COVID-19/
“Our staff are resilient, but it takes its toll,” she said.
“If you get vaccinated, you’re protecting everybody in the healthcare system as well.
“I’m proud of what our staff do day after day [but] if we can all get vaccinated… we can start to live a free life.”
Ms Cox said the hospital is “trying to be proactive this year” in encouraging people to listen to health professionals.
“We’re listening to our experts,” she said.
“[The vaccine is] demonstrated, it’s evidenced that it’ll reduce your risk of hospitalisation, decrease your risk of ending up in ICU.
“Speak with medical practitioners, GPs – they’re the ones who can provide the evidence.”
Ms Cox said while the COVID-19 outbreak that has shut down metro Melbourne for the sixth time has increased the number of COVID-19 patients, she was glad to see the community was still coming forward for other medical care.
“We certainly have seen a different picture this year [compared to last],” she said
“We haven’t seen a decrease in presentations to emergency – it’s good to know people will seek treatment.
“We’ve got some really good processes [including] our virtual ED for people who don’t want to present physically at the hospital, and telehealth is being used a lot.”
