Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre May Be Used As A Makeshift Coronavirus ICU

The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, usually reserved for events like Oz Comic-Con and the Melbourne International Film Festival, could be getting re-purposed as an emergency coronavirus hospital and morgue by late May.

As reported by The Age, the news comes after different state health departments have projected up to 20 and even 25% of the population becoming infected with COVID-19, with around 20% of that number needing to be hospitalised.

When the pandemic hits its peak, patients will far exceed Victoria's 475 ICU beds, with the state government predicting an influx of up to 2,000 coronavirus-based admissions to intensive care.

To cope, non-hospital settings will need to be utilised to help lighten the load on the state's care facilities.

Jeff’s Shed, nicknamed after former premier Jeff Kennett and which is currently closed to the public following the caps on large and non-essential gatherings, looks like it's going to be one of them.

Health Minister Jenny Mikakos confirmed on Thursday that "non-hospital settings" are being considered but would not elaborate on what buildings were being discussed.

“We are looking at both hospital settings and non-hospital settings for additional bed capacity we may require,” Mikakos said.

“I’m not in a position to make announcements about that today but we're definitely looking at other opportunities to expand that capacity further."

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