“I’ve seen as a lot of elderly Greek people that haven’t been vaccinated, who get very ill, and too often, die,” Dr Roderick McRae told Neos Kosmos.
The president of the Victorian branch of the Australian Medical Association (AMA) is concerned that too many Greek Australians are not vaccinated, or not getting their boosters against COVID-19. “Vaccination is terribly important” he said.
“Vaccinations protect you and stop you going into hospital, they stop you blocking up the health system,” Dr McRae told Neos Kosmos.
According to the Victorian Department of Health website, Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants are dominant along the east coast of Australia.
New cases and reinfections have caused 83 per cent increase in the number of Victorians in hospital with COVID-19 over the last three weeks.
Just over 10,000 people a day in Victoria and 12,000 per day in NSW are being infected by COVID-19. Victoria currently has over 64000 cases according to the hospital system is creaking at the seams as beds fill with patients.
“Community complacency” is a key factor behind the the increased pressure on hospitals according to Dr McRae.
“People not getting boosters and not wearing masks on public transport are a cause for the immediate crisis in the health care system,” Dr McRae said.
Victoria is also facing a “challenging flu season.” And over 2000 hospital staff have been furloughed, due infection, or because they need to care for someone who is ill.”
Hospitals creaking at the seams as a new wave of Omicron B4 and B5 of COVID is rips though the community. Major surgery is being postponed numerous times.
Patients are being ramped in ambulance waiting bays, while others in emergency can wait up to five hours to see someone.
Dr McRae put the health crisis down to two factors: an historic “under investment in capacity across Victoria, and Australia, forever”, and community complacency in the face of a resurgent Omicron, B4 and B5wave.
He was alarmed to find out that “30 percent of Australians have not had their boosters”.
Dr McRae emphasised that vaccination, as well as boosters, and wearing a mask “are the only solutions to not becoming infected, or not becoming very ill.”
He said that a good mask will prevent people catching the disease. An N 95 mask is the best and according to the doctor, “even if trivially uncomfortable – the benefit is the reduction of you getting infected, and giving it to your partner, your kids, your parents and extended family”.
“A lot of unnecessary illness and deaths of people who did not need to die could have been avoided by using a mask and getting vaccinated,” Dr McRae told Neos Kosmos.
And the people getting ill and even ending up in hospital are not all old or have underlying issues. Currently 25- and 30-year-olds are being infected by the new Omicron variants, “two and three times and are running the risk of long COVID.”
Professor Vasso Apostolopoulos a world-leading virologist from Victoria University told Neos Kosmos that “the pandemic has not become endemic”.
The COVID-19 pandemic “is not over” she added and, “only vaccinations, boosters and where necessary mask wearing can make us safer.”
“Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 have dramatically increased the rate of illness, hospitalisation, and death in unvaccinated people, and those who have not had their boosters,” Prof. Apostolopoulos said to Neos Kosmos.
Dr MrRae congratulated the Greek Community for “showing great leadership” in running vaccination hubs last year and promoting COVID safe behaviours.
He added that not being vaccinated, nor getting the boosters, just means that “new variants will develop and keep cycling around.”
And there is no lack of vaccines. The commonwealth government now has about 255 million vaccines. Yet less than a quarter — about 60 million — have been dispensed.
The nation’s largest vaccine deal was with Novavax where 51 million doses of the protein-based vaccine were purchased. But the Australian Immunisation Register figures show that supply has barely been touched.
Even with an increased uptake of fourth doses, Australia has an enormous surplus of vaccines which are not required, as variant-specific vaccines are obtained and rolled out.
According to Prof Apostolopoulos vaccines are tailored to meet the specific COVID variants and flu variants as they arise.
That is why it is important to take the boosters and an annual flu vaccine.
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