Dozens of ICU patients missing from Victoria’s COVID-19 hospitalisation figures

The state government has been accused of fudging Victoria’s COVID-19 hospitalisation figures, with federal data suggesting dozens of patients in ICU units are missing from the state government’s publicly released figures.

The revelation indicates the pressure on Victorian hospitals is worse than previously thought.

Widely reported state government statistics suggest ICU admissions due to COVID-19 have fallen from a mid-October high of 163 to 114.

But The Age has seen data from the federal Critical Health Resource Information System, which shows the figure is 63 per cent higher.

According to those federal figures, 181 coronavirus patients are currently in Victorian ICU beds but only 115 are deemed infectious.