Health Minister Greg Hunt responded earlier today on whether Australia plans to follow in the footsteps of several European countries going into lockdown over the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
The Netherlands became the latest country to enter a lockdown over the Christmas period following a surge in cases while in the UK, a further 90,418 people have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections over the last seven days to 513,574. However, Britain has also opted against lockdowns.
According to Professor Adrian Esterman, an epidemiologist at the University of South Australia warned the same increase is likely to happen here as ACT and NSW ease restrictions.
Predicting Australia could see up to 25,000 cases a day, the professor also said that the full two doses of the AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccination “gives almost no protection against catching COVID”. He believes that current relaxations of policy will have to be reversed.
“The early indications are that the Omicron variant is twice as infectious as Delta, but causes less severe illness and deaths among those infected – but the numbers infected will still be so high that health services will be put under severe strain,” he said.
Today alone New South Wales set a new daily record of cases with more than 2500 infections, the highest daily since the beginning of the pandemic.
Meanwhile in Melbourne, dozens of COVID-19 cases, including one Omicron infection – have been linked to popular clubs and pubs of concern in Collingwood and Fitzroy.
Speaking to the media, Australian health minister Mr Hunt said that “In relation to the Netherlands, my understanding is that their cumulative loss of life is 1400 per cent of that which has occurred in Australia”.
“As I say, we’re going into summer, we have one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, and a very different set of circumstances,” he added clarifying that Australia does not plan for another lockdown.
“Each country will make their judgement on their own circumstances, but we don’t see that as a likely situation in Australia. We are well prepared and people are overwhelmingly, I have to say, continuing to do an amazing job.”
