Bendigo Health says it has the capacity to scale up its service but wants the public and governments to help address the pressure on local health authorities.
Pressure is building to deliver COVID-19 screening clinics alongside mass vaccination programs as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases continues to rise.
Bendigo Health runs the Loddon Mallee Public Health Unit, and the local health authority's chief nurse David Rosaia said all its hospitals from Kyneton to Mildura were prepared for more hospitalisations.
"If we had a significant surge in demand for COVID it would not only be a Bendigo Health response, but it would also be a Loddon Mallee response," he said.
"Since Christmas there's been about a 4 per cent increase in cases, which is concerning.
"But when you look at the numbers today, the whole state is increasing.
Bookings open for school-aged children
The health authority is now taking bookings for children aged 5-11 years old to get their COVID-19 vaccinations beginning January 10.
It is running its vaccination program side-by-side with its third dose program for adults and wants them to start making their bookings for when their four-month window arrives.
From the end of January that window will be reduced to three months.
Bendigo Health chair Bob Cameron said there was enough vaccine and is recommending Pfizer.
But he said people should not be thinking they are going to get an appointment if they choose to walk into the Mollison Street mass vaccination hub.
Aggression from the public towards vaccination and testing staff has also led the health service to remind people to remain calm and be nice to workers.
Mr Cameron wants at-home COVID-19 testing kits, or rapid antigen tests, to be approved by governments as a formal COVID-19 test to help relieve some of the pressure on health services.
The services already run busy screening clinics alongside an increasing vaccination program.
Public health data shows as of Thursday there were 434 active cases of COVID-19 in the Loddon Mallee, including 105 in the Bendigo area.
Since September, 800 COVID-positive people have been cared for through the health authority's in-home care program, made up of 200 children and 600 adults.
Less people in ICU, but COVID patients still presenting
Bendigo Health is one of four streaming hospitals in regional Victoria — along with Ballarat, Shepparton, and La Trobe Valley — to accept COVID-19 patients from smaller hospitals.
For the past four weeks Bendigo Health has been making room for COVID-infected pregnant women and children.
The local health authority said it had a spare ward it can fit out immediately, used in the past to expand its intensive care unit.
"If there was a potential limitation it'll be workforce, but that's what we'll ensure that we continue to recruit."
To Wednesday, the local health authority had three ICU patients with one of those on a ventilator, and seven COVID-positive patients in hospital.
"We have on average between five to 10 COVID positives each day. A lot of the patients are streaming from Mildura, Swan Hill, Castlemaine, Echuca, and some referrals from Gisborne," Mr Rosaia said.
