Melbourne endures another period with limited ambulance services after code red overnight

Victoria's health system is facing "ongoing challenges" after it was pushed to breaking point again, forced to declare a code red overnight.

For more than 90 minutes earlier today, Ambulance Victoria (AV) was operating at minimum capacity after the service enacted a code red escalation of its emergency response plan.

It urged only those people with a serious health emergency to call 000 because other calls were potentially going unanswered due to extreme demand across metropolitan Melbourne.

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The service was able to recall staff and restore operations to normal levels.

AV said in a statement it had triggered its emergency response plan in the early hours today.

"Just before 2am today, Ambulance Victoria enacted a red escalation of its emergency response plan due to extreme demand within metropolitan Melbourne.

"These measures had a swift effect in reducing the impact of the impact on ambulance services by 3.15am."

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Two weeks ago, a similar code red was declared for more than three hours.

Ambulance Victoria's executive director of operational communications, Lindsay Mackay, said there were no specific factors that led to the code red.

"It was all about getting ambulances out to people that needed it most," she said.

"Last night, we did see around midnight a spike in calls in general but there wasn't anything that we could see that was different."

"They just kept coming in for a couple of hours and that's really what led us towards activating the escalation plan."

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The service says it's primarily due to staff shortages as COVID-19 and flu cases spike in Victoria.

Today the state recorded 7934 coronavirus cases and two deaths.