Mr Merlino said he had no further updates on the Premier’s condition or exactly how long he will be on sick leave but was “very pleased” he has moved wards.“It was great to see him out of ICU,” he said.He said the Premier had a long recovery ahead of him, putting his attendance at National Cabinet next month in doubt.Under current rules, premiers cannot send a proxy in their place to the federal meeting, meaning Mr Merlino would be unable to represent Victoria.But Mr Merlino said in these “particular circumstances”, where he expects to be acting premier for “some time”, the rules will likely change.He said they are having discussions with the federal government to allow him to represent Mr Andrews at the meeting.It comes as Mr Andrews on Saturday shared an image of himself from his hospital bed.He posted the picture to Instagram and Twitter on Saturday night, thanking those who had sent their well wishes.“Good to get out of ICU and settled in new digs,” he wrote.“Thanks for all your messages and well wishes. It really means a lot.”In the picture, the Premier was in his hospital bed wearing a back brace and appeared to be getting his blood pressure measured by a masked nurse.Mr Andrews will not undergo surgery but is up for a lengthy recovery period.He took to social media on Saturday afternoon to share an update on his health condition. “The good news is no surgery for now – but the doctors tell me recovery and rehab is still going to be a very long journey,” he said on Twitter. “Our thanks to the entire team at @AlfredHealth for their care and professionalism. “Like all our health professionals, they are the best of Victoria.” A statement from the Alfred Hospital added Mr Andrews would move from the ICU into a regular ward.Intensive care unit director Associate Professor Steve McGloughlin said the Premier was in “good spirits” and remained in a stable condition. “Mr Andrews is comfortable and doing well,” Prof McGloughlin said. “There is no plan for surgery at this stage.” [email protected]



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