A Cairns hospital has declared a code yellow after an influx in COVID-19 patients.
The declaration came after six fly-in-fly-out mine workers returning from Papua New Guinea tested positive for the virus.
Cairns health service executive director Dr Don Mackie says hospital staff are under extraordinary pressure.
"Six or seven beds doesn't sound like a lot but they are in specific areas, they are in highly specialised negative pressure rooms that reduce the risk of cross-infection on from those patients and it impinges on the other functions of the hospital," says Dr Mackie.