"The system certainly isn't working and we are going to be in severe crisis if we get more people with serious infections," said general practitioner at Batemans Bay Medical centre Doctor David Rivett.

"There's a lot of stress on staff all the time," Dr Rivett said. "They're constantly stressed wondering if someone will test positive for COVID or not. We're experiencing staff burn out from constant stress."

He says the system will not be able to deal with a large influx of patients needing intensive care.

"If someone gets seriously ill in Moruya or Batemans Bay they'll have to go to Bega or Goulburn or Canberra and that's logistically a nightmare if we get a flood of patients needing intensive care," he said.

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Batemans Bay Medical Centre has had some staff furloughed to self-isolate. While Dr Rivett says the centre has managed to cope so far, "it's inevitable that infections (among healthcare workers) become the norm rather than the rarity."

Despite what the Premier insists, it appears Batemans Bay is not alone in struggling to deal with Omicron cases.

"Our members don't feel like they are coping," said Shaye Candish, Acting General Secretary of the NSW Nurses and Midwives' Association. "There's a disconnect between the experiences of nurses and midwives in NSW and what the Premier is saying."

"It's critical the Government acknowledge what's going on," she said. "They're saying everything is fine and the system is coping but the system isn't coping."

It's a disconnect that Dr Rivett finds frustrating too.

"It's infuriating seeing the Minister on TV saying there is plenty of doses of booster shots available and that the supply chain is working well when we never know what vaccines we will have until they arrive," Dr Rivett said.

"They can't tell you in advance what doses you will get, and when they do arrive you have to use them within 30 days," he said. "It's a logistical nightmare."

As case numbers rise, Ms Candish says some hospitals are constructing overflow tents outside, and nurses are being asked to work up to 12 hours, dressed in full PPE, with no air-conditioning, without sufficient breaks and in the middle of hot summer days.

Ms Candish says hospitals around the state are understaffed, and the explosion of cases and the increased need to isolate is only making the situation worse.

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"There is so much community transmission that is impacting the workforce, and healthcare workers aren't immune from that," she said. "They either can't work of have to isolate."

A January 5 report by the Agency for Clinical Innovation found 3800 healthcare workers are isolating in NSW because of COVID. Ms Candish estimates that number is well over 4000 now.

"Routinely our members are coming to work short-staffed," she said. "We are seeing an explosion of cases at a time when the hospital is at it lowest time of resources."

Prior to the recent Omicron outbreak, Ms Candish says health managers recognised how fatigued the workforce was after two exhausting years, and made a deliberate attempt to provide healthcare workers leave during the Christmas break.

Over Christmas, many surgeons also take leave, shutting down operation theatres.

"It was predictable hospital capacity would decrease over Christmas," Ms Candish said.

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"Our members are incredibly frustrated because sufficient planning would've identified (easing restrictions before Christmas) as a high risk strategy and this is coupled with an explosion of cases over Christmas.

"Our members are scared, they're fearful of contracting COVID or taking COVID home to their families or giving COVID to their patients who are vulnerable.

"They are angry that what they see out on the ground is being actively denied by the Government. They think it's deeply unfair.

"It doesn't give them the acknowledgment and respect they deserve, especially given everything they have done for our community over the past two years.

"There's no chance of us seeing any improvement of the catastrophic conditions our healthcare workers are facing until there is some acknowledgement that it is actually that bad."

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The Government is looking into measures to reduce the load on hospitals, such as postponing non-essential surgery or using public hospitals, but Ms Candish says "the projections (regarding Omnicron cases) are so substantial that this probably won't be enough."

"We've been calling for increased nurse to patient ratios for the past eight years. We've needed investment in our healthcare for that long, and the government has refused.

"Everything is playing out just as our members have forecasted time and time again."