An exhausted nurse has warned of a looming national health crisis claiming hospitals are understaffed and struggling to cope with a surge in Covid-19 patients.
Lucy Murnane revealed she was at breaking point after working night rotation and pulling 10 hour shifts in one of the busiest emergency departments in Melbourne.
She claimed hospitals were already pushed to capacity and a severe shortage of staff had left available nurses feeling 'exhausted'.
'We are struggling, to put it frankly,' she told Channel Nine's Today Show on Monday.
'We've been struggling for a long time now. The start of the year saw the highest volume of presentations that we've ever had, and that was in a time where we weren't seeing really any Covid.'
'We're very stressed. But we're just trying our best to look after each other.'
Lucy Murnane revealed she was at breaking point after working night rotation and pulling 10 hour shifts in one of the busiest emergency departments in Melbourne
Burnett Institute modelling has provided a grim forecast for Victoria with warnings of Intensive Care Units exceeding capacity and thousands of residents dying
Burnett Institute modelling has provided a grim forecast for Victoria with warnings of Intensive Care Units exceeding capacity and thousands of residents dying.
Between 1,455 and 3,152 Victorians are expected to die from Covid-19 between July and December.
Daily infections are predicted to peak between 1,400 and 2,900 cases at the end of October. The peak is then forecast to skyrocket in mid-December.
ICU admissions could peak between 462 to 953 while hospital intake could rise between 1,950 and 4,400 new patients.
Premier Daniel Andrews has called the figures a 'sobering read'.
Surging hospitalisations are expected across the country with state premiers and chief ministers discussing the latest modelling from the Health
