ABC 730 coronavirus stories – International versions

13.04.20 ICUBed - Behind-the-scenes look at efforts to prepare hospitals for coronavirus peak

We take a behind-the-scenes look at the frantic effort underway to prepare our hospitals for the coronavirus peak.

Thanks largely to the way all of you are social distancing, Australia has bought itself crucial time to get its intensive care units ready.

 

TRANSCRIPT

ANDREW STRIPP, CEO, MONASH HEALTH:  It's quite a revolution in a very short period of time. Really, quite an extraordinary transformation.

 

I think everyone is anxious about the nature of this disease.

 

 

SEAN RUBINSZTEIN-DUNLOP, REPORTER:  Construction is at break-neck speed as hospitals prepare for the coronavirus to hit its peak.

 

 

ANDREW STRIPP:  We have a window of opportunity to prepare and train for the potential large surge of patients arriving.

 

 

MALE DOCTOR:  And we're waiting for CO2. Continue ventilation and secure the tube.

 

 

ANDREW STRIPP:  We have 50 ICU beds, we're working on expanding that, in the order of 150 to 200 ICU beds, if we need to.

 

 

MALE DOCTOR:  There's improvement of oxygen levels.

 

 

SEAN RUBINSZTEIN-DUNLOP:  Melbourne's Monash Health has overhauled its hospitals since it first treated Australia's Patient Zero.

 

 

ANDREW STRIPP:  25 of January, just before Australia Day, we received the very first person who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 and since that time, the health service has been preparing.

 

Weeks are days, and days are hours, and hours are minutes.

 

We don't want to waste my time.

 

Good morning. Update us on our activity.

 

 

MALE DOCTOR:  We have five patients with positive COVID-19. Three are at quantum, one in ICU.

 

 

ANDREW STRIPP:  We look at logistics, in terms of equipment, the flow of equipment, the flow of PPE.

 

 

SEAN RUBINSZTEIN-DUNLOP:  Before the COVID crisis, there were more than 2,000 beds in Intensive Care Units across Australia.

 

Nearly all occupied on a regular day.

 

The Federal Government is planning to more than triple that capacity.

 

 

DR NICK COATSWORTH, DEPUTY CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER:  We have been preparing for around about 5,000 patients in intensive care on the worst day.

 

At the moment with the curve as it is and with the numbers as it is, we have done an exceptional job to contain the epidemic.

 

But we have to be cautious because the ongoing community transmission could push up those numbers.

 

 

SEAN RUBINSZTEIN-DUNLOP:  Each patient in ICU requires one nurse at all times.

 

So, with the plan to triple the number of beds, Australia also needs to triple the ICU workforce.

 

 

DR NICK COATSWORTH:  We're looking at 35,000 nurses to actually manage that.

 

There's certainly a lot more to train.

 

 

MALE DOCTOR:  I'm checking allergies whether the patient has any medical allergies.

 

 

SEAN RUBINSZTEIN-DUNLOP:  Neo-natal nurse Anna Kidman was one of the first to volunteer to move to ICU.

 

 

ANNA KIDMAN, NURSE:  I was a bit apprehensive to start with. I've done it before but it was about seven-years-ago.

 

 

SEAN RUBINSZTEIN-DUNLOP:  To get ready, Anna is thrown into a simulation of how to safely put a tube down the throat of a COVID-19 patient who can't breathe and connect it to a ventilator.

 

 

ANNA KIDMAN:  If you've been out of the game, it would be really daunting coming back but I think reinforces how vital basic nursing skills are, how transferable skills are.

 

 

MALE DOCTOR:  Patient looks comfortable. Everyone happy?

 

 

SEAN RUBINSZTEIN-DUNLOP:  Each new ICU bed needs a new ventilator.

 

7.30 was granted exclusive access to the national stockpile of medical supplies at a warehouse in a secret location, where imported ventilators are trickling in.

 

Australia needs thousands more ventilators.

 

 

DR NICK COATSWORTH:  The offshore procurement of ventilators, it's not a reliable supply line. As you can imagine, they're two of the world's biggest economies, have been the hardest hit by this virus, so getting a ventilator imported at the moment is a very challenging matter indeed.

 

 

SEAN RUBINSZTEIN-DUNLOP:  The nation's brightest minds are finding creative solutions.

 

 

ALAN FINKEL, AUSTRALIA'S CHIEF SCIENTIST:  Internationally there are hotspots for the epidemic and the demand for ventilators is exceeding their local supply...

 

 

SEAN RUBINSZTEIN-DUNLOP:  Australia's Chief Scientist Alan Finkel is on a Federal Government taskforce, that is trying to find thousands of new ventilators by winter but we're losing out in a global bidding war.

 

 

ALAN FINKEL:  We have had at least one case that I'm aware of, where we had a line in sight to a few hundred very, very legitimate ventilators from a major international company and somehow, they disappeared from the warehouse before our trucks arrived to pick

 

them up to take them to the airport to bring them to Australia.

 

It's like, what you see in hoarding in supermarkets in Australia, at a national level.

 

 

IAN BURGESS, MEDICAL TECH ASSOCIATION OF AUS:  So, we will be moving at maximum speed possible.

 

 

SEAN RUBINSZTEIN-DUNLOP:  Australia's medical industry is rallying in response.

 

 

IAN BURGESS:  Australia is on a war footing and the medical technology industry is on the front-line, in terms of bringing competing companies together and sharing information around supply, sharing designs even, in terms of proprietary information, that was previously commercial in confidence.

 

These are the measures that have been taken to ensure that every opportunity is taken to maximise and increase that supply.

 

It's extraordinary times.

 

 

PAUL DOCHERTY, 3DMEDITECH:  If there is a global shortage and people are shutting their borders to equipment that is vitally needed for us as Australians, we need to find another way.

 

 

SEAN RUBINSZTEIN-DUNLOP:  At this factory in inner Melbourne, a home-grown ventilator industry is taking shape.

 

 

PAUL DOCHERTY:  This is the beauty of the 3D printing in the medical supply chain, is that we can very quickly get up and running.

 

 

SEAN RUBINSZTEIN-DUNLOP:  Less than a month ago, 3D MEDiTech mostly made dental devices and children's orthopaedics.

 

 

PAUL DOCHERTY:  Initially it was incredibly daunting to be pivoting the business.

 

When you come into our site, it's gowns, gloves, masks, disinfectant, obviously.

 

We're cleaning hourly.

 

We started off making a spacer for Hazmat suits, which we produced in 48 hours.

 

We have now done face shields for hospitals. We are now, almost at a clinical trial for medical swabs.

 

 

SEAN RUBINSZTEIN-DUNLOP:  3D MEDiTech is developing ventilator parts in coordination with the National Taskforce.

 

Each machine requires hundreds of parts, so competing companies are now working together.

 

 

ALAN FINKEL:  We've now got 2,500 invasive ventilators on order being manufactured by two Australian companies. We have got a specification out there that is enabling a number of Australian companies, to put their foot forward and to join the effort to produce ventilators.

 

 

SEAN RUBINSZTEIN-DUNLOP:  The public's co-operation has bought front-line medical staff precious time, which until now has been in short supply.

 

 

ANNA KIDMAN:  I'm cautiously optimistic that we are going to get through this together and I just hope that everyone is listening to the advice that we've been giving and being sensible and we will be able to get through this.