EIGHTEEN suspected or confirmed COVID-19 regional patients required help and transportation last week in Western Australia.
That help came from the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) Western Operation crews who were on standby to collect those affected from the regions.
To the week ending last Sunday, that included seven cases from the Kimberley region, three from the Pilbara, three from the Goldfields, three from the Wheatbelt and two from the Midwest.
Since the pandemic began in February 2020, the RFDS has collected 184 confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients.
While specifics of these cases could not be released, no transmission to pilots, crew and staff occurred during the transfers.
"The RFDS was the first aeromedical service in WA able to transfer COVID-19 patients and we have increased our resources to ensure we are prepared to support regional WA communities throughout the pandemic," said RFDS chief executive officer Rebecca Tomkinson.
"Our entire team has been busy preparing for this response and have developed world-class infection control protocols that we continue to refine as the situation evolves to protect our crew and patients.
"The RFDS will continue to co-ordinate our response to COVID-19 and deliver our services in partnership with WA's health and emergency services network, to be there for people who need our care."
According to the RFDS, all flights are conducted with the highest clinical governance.
When transferring COVID-19 patients, crews wear full PPE and work closely with WA Health and local health services on the ground, with aircraft always decontaminated after the transfer of a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case.
With a new jet joining the fleet in early March, the RFDS continues to be well-positioned to support regional WA if and when cases rise.
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