South Australian chief health officer Nicola Spurrier has tested positive for Covid, just as case numbers and hospitalisations surge.
Health officials warned on Tuesday hospitalisations would increase over the coming weeks.
“Professor Spurrier will conduct her duties as Chief Public Health Officer from home until the conclusion of her isolation period,” SA Health said in a statement.
“She would like to emphasise the importance for everyone to seek Covid testing even with the most minimal symptoms and encourages mask wearing to prevent unknowingly passing on infection.”
Professor Spurrier received her fourth dose of vaccine last week and is understood to be experiencing extremely mild symptoms.
University of Adelaide modelling predicts hospitalisations could rise to as many as 400 people this week as daily cases exceed 7000.
As of Tuesday, there were 282 people in hospital with the virus across the state.
“We are seeing an average upwards trajectory in terms of hospitalisations at the moment,“ SA Health Minister Chris Picton said.
“That clearly points to the pressure on our health system, the pressure to make sure we find available capacity in our health system for people who need admission for Covid.”
SA reported 4172 new infections on Tuesday along with three deaths — of a woman in her 50s, another in her 80s and a man in his 70s.
Mr Picton said some non-urgent overnight elective surgery in public hospitals may be deferred or moved to private hospitals to find beds for Covid-19 patients.
Originally published as South Australian Chief Health Officer shares unfortunate news
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