Coronavirus

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (15:25): Supplementary: my question—perhaps the minister didn't hear correctly—was how many ICU beds? As part of that divergent set of needs, how many will be ICU beds that are needed?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:26): Let me go slowly, then. The whole strategy of this government is to slow the spread of coronavirus so that we can not only minimise the peak but also push it out. The reason for that is because, if we can spread the ICU demand and the demand for other health services over a longer period, our health system will have a greater capacity to cope. It will also mean—to go back to the ICU bed point—we will need significantly fewer ICU beds.

The reality is that a relatively small proportion of people will experience severe symptoms of COVID-19. Unfortunately, it is particularly amongst people with comorbidities and the elderly. But, as the WHO Secretary-General reminded us in recent days, young people are not immune, and also young people have a responsibility to support the health of the whole community, not just their own. The projections for the demand on ICU beds are completely predicated on our capacity to flatten the curve, to slow the spread.