- How did Australia go from being the envy of the world with our best practice public health measures, low case numbers, a prepared health system and an economy ticking along nicely to what can only be described as a shambolic mess?
- Long Covid remains a risk, even in “mild cases”, and even if people are vaccinated.
- Results were taking five or six days to be reported.
- That includes prevention and public health initiatives.
How did Australia go from being the envy of the world, with best-in-class public health measures, low case numbers, a well-prepared health system, and a humming economy, to a shambolic mess, as reported by The Guardian.
Pandemic in Australia
The only example Australia is providing to the world now is a warning about what not to do with the Covid-19 pandemic.
We thought the government would develop a robust strategy for the months and years ahead after our 2021 lockdown.
The government needed to heed practical, experienced public health experts, epidemiologists and clinicians.
As time went by, our warnings were proven correct as the Omicron variant emerged and the virus infected the vaccinated and unvaccinated, picking off the medically vulnerable, immunocompromised people and children.
Even that is likely to wane within months.
COVID risk
Long Covid remains a risk, even in “mild cases”, and even if people are vaccinated.
With the new New South Wales premier, Dominic Perrottet, in charge, the chief health officer, Kerry Chant, was sidelined as the new policy to “let it rip” was rolled out.
15 December 2021 was a pivotal moment in the pandemic.
Perhaps the most insidious piece of messaging was the pronouncement that “everyone in Australia is going to get it”.
In other words, why bother trying to prevent transmission?
Meanwhile, Covid-infected NSW residents were expected to do their own testing, contact tracing, and home Covid care.
Christmas holiday
As the holiday period approached, many testing facilities would be closed down with little warning, leading to queues stretching for kilometres and waiting times blowing out to hours.
In some cases, ill people waited in their cars overnight.
Results were taking five or six days to be reported.
It ruined Christmas for many, who could not get a result in time for 25 December.
The government resisted providing the tests for free as the UK had done, with Morrison saying he “did not want to undercut businesses”.
This is exactly the stage of the pandemic where affordability should not be a barrier to disease control.
Pandemic control
The minimalist approach to pandemic control has hurt businesses more than it has helped, with many cancellations at restaurants and hospitality venues.
Many who are ill with Covid have self-diagnosed with a RAT but have not undergone PCR testing.
These numbers are invisible to official case counts.
Medicare is supposed to provide a basic level of health care to all Australians.
That includes prevention and public health initiatives.
COVID preparedness
The government should have procured and provided Covid preparedness kits to be delivered to people who test positive so they could monitor their condition at home.
Meanwhile, there’s no national rapid antigen test strategy and the government has had plenty of notice.
Meanwhile, hospitalisations and ICU admissions are escalating and many who would normally be treated in hospital are being told to manage their condition at home.
“Letting it rip” will not end the pandemic, nor will it help business or the economy.
There will be another wave of another variant.
Preventing transmission is our only way out of this.
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Source: The Guardian
