Nearly 2,000 Victorian hospital workers have been furloughed due to COVID-19, adding more strain to the state's already stretched health system.
Hospitalisations from the virus have risen 83 per cent in the past three weeks to 771 reported on Thursday, leading to some hospitals cancelling non-urgent elective surgeries.
The Royal Melbourne Hospital said it was experiencing record demand leading to ambulance ramping, and that it was expanding its emergency department to address delays.
The hospital is working with Ambulance Victoria to open a separate space where patients arriving by ambulance can be assessed and left in the care of staff.
The initiative aims to tackle extra strain on the system resulting in ambulance ramping, which refers to a situation where delays at the hospital mean a patient cannot be offloaded.
Royal Melbourne Hospital emergency department director Mark Putland said the new measure, which is also being used at other hospitals, will help paramedics get back on the road faster.
"It's a way of getting ambulances moving, getting back to people who need them, keeping the people who are here in somewhere that's reasonably supervised," he said.
In a statement, Royal Melbourne Hospital said it would be continuing category one and urgent category two surgeries, while some category three procedures may be deferred.
Decisions on COVID measures stay with hospitals
Acting Premier Jacinta Allan said over 1,900 hospital workers were furloughed on Thursday due to COVID-19.
"That's in addition to others who might not be at work because they're sick with cold or flu or are caring for family members," she said.
Ms Allan said hospitals, rather than the state government, were best placed to make their own decisions regarding visitor restrictions and other COVID-safe measures.
"These things are best managed at the local hospital level," she said.
She reiterated government advice to wear masks indoors and urged those now eligible for their fourth dose of the vaccine to book an appointment.
Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said challenges associated with rising COVID cases were not confined to Victoria and were being experienced "right around the nation".
She also responded to a question from media about whether hospitals were being left to deal with the surge in COVID cases "on their own".
"I absolutely reject that characterisation of what is happening in Victoria," Ms Thomas said.
She defended the support being offered to Victoria's hospitals.
"In Victoria we do have a devolved system which enables our healthcare services to make the decisions that are best for them and the communities that they service," she said.
"But they are absolutely backed in every day by the Victorian government to deliver those health services.
"We stand with our hardworking healthcare workers and we are there to provide a range of supports during this unprecedented and very challenging time."
Ms Thomas has said she dismissed recommendations from the state's Chief Health Officer to mandate mask wearing in retail and early education settings in response to rising case numbers.
The government predicts the number of COVID-19 hospitalisations will continue to climb as winter progresses, projecting a possible rise to approximately 200 admissions per day.
Some elective surgeries cancelled
Alfred Health said Thursday it had deferred some elective surgeries to cope with surging demand. Category one surgeries will go ahead as planned.
The hospital will also limit outpatient appointments and introduce a requirement that visitors wear N95 masks.
On Monday, Bendigo Health announced it would postpone some non-urgent elective surgery due to chronic staff shortages and high demand for beds.
Shadow Health Minister Georgie Crozier blamed the Andrews government for "years of mismanagement" placing Victorian hospitals in a position where they have to cancel elective surgeries.
"News today that elective surgery's going to be again cancelled is a disaster," she said.
"We can't have people languishing in pain and their health outcomes getting worse by the day."
The number of Victorians in hospital with COVID represents the highest tally since February 1 this year.
From Tuesday this week, health authorities have shortened the period in which someone is not required to isolate after contracting COVID from 12 weeks to four.
