Auckland DHBs are struggling with the growing number of Delta cases while still caring for other high-needs patients.
The Director General of Health signalled reinforcements are on the way for the hospitals caring for 32 Delta patients.
Eight are in high dependency or intensive care units and three of them currently need help breathing.
The call has gone out for intensive care nurses and specialists to redeploy from other parts of the country, with more staff also needed for the two new quarantine facilities.
On top of that, the government's extended the freeze on MIQ spots as the system starts to groan under the pressure of this outbreak.
Covid-19 Minister Chris Hipkins told Checkpoint he did not know exactly how many nurses are needed for ICU, but said 30 extra nurses are needed for MIQ.
“Other DHBs are certainly working to try and help facilitate that.
“I think everybody around the country acknowledges and everybody in the health system acknowledges that at the moment Auckland is doing some of the heavy lifting here, we need to support them to be successful in this, if we want to avoid this potentially becoming a bigger outbreak that ends up being spreading around the rest of the country.
“I think the whole health system is aware that they're all going to need to chip in a little bit and help out. And that's exactly what's happening. DHBs have contingency plans in place.”
It is estimated 30 nurses with ICU training are needed in Auckland to help in the outbreak. Earlier, Nurses Organisation spokesperson Kate Weston said that will be a significant challenge, as she understands there are about 97 vacancies for ICU-trained nurses outside of the Auckland region.
