For the first time in almost two years Australia has swapped closed borders and double doughnuts for sell-out concerts and overseas and interstate flights. Yet with Omicron spreading, some say opening up feels like the coronavirus equivalent of a bungy jump and this week we're standing on the ledge.
Epidemiologist Zoe Hyde from the University of Western Australia believes there is a case to be made toShe told the ABC this week that Omicron has changed the playing field and plans to open the WA border "needs some modification".
"If COVID-19 is transmitted within an urban centre, the locals might be protected by vaccinations. However, Aboriginal people visiting from remote areas are still vulnerable as they go to town to buy food or for medical attention or sport," wrote the authors of a piece published onAustralia's success in inoculating a high percentage of people over 16 has made the prospect of open borders a very different proposition to the scenario that slammed them shut in 2020.
While anecdotal evidence to date is comforting – showing rising Omicron infections in South Africa are not showing an equivalent rise in hospital admissions — Professor Fiona Russell from the University of Melbourne points out that understanding how severe Omicron will be in different age groups and greater understanding of vaccine effectiveness is "critical" to charting the path forward.
Early studies have also shown that once a person is infected, Omicron spreads to the bronchial tubes 70 per cent faster than Delta., even after a double dose, emphasising the importance of a third. The vaccines are thought to be generally less effective against Omicron.At the same time the sheer number of infections is threatening to add pressure to hospital systems.
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