Melbourne Hospitals Defer Elective Surgery

A view of the COVID-19 Clinic at the Alfred Hospital on March 26, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Elective surgeries have been deferred at some of Melbourne’s largest hospitals as staff shortages put pressure on already busy services.

The Alfred has paused elective surgeries for a week because a high number of key clinical staff are off sick due to COVID-19.