Greatly increased transmission rates and uncertainty about the new variant means that for the next few weeks we must rethink our opening-up plans | OPINION Omicron
must continue but will take months to implement fully and cannot be our sole weapon. Nationwide, restrictions that have not been removed must be reinforced, and some of those that have been removed must be reimposed., which represent a minimal imposition and cost virtually nothing.
Yes, there were problems with quarantine leaks and thousands of Australians were stranded overseas, but the border restrictions effectively limited spread in the pre-vaccine era. The vaccine program was slow to start but our double-dose coverage is now among the highest in the world, helped along by the urgency of the Delta outbreak that began in Sydney in June.
The two big unknowns are the severity of the disease it causes, and the extent to which current vaccines are protective from either infection or disease. Early data from South Africa, where Omicron was first detected, indicates milder disease than Delta but that is in a setting of high prior COVID-19 infection and low vaccine coverage, so vastly different to Australia.
If it turns out that Omicron causes much less disease than Delta, the most we will have lost is a few weeks of unrestricted gathering. In the reverse scenario, we will have prevented many thousands of transmissions and put ourselves in a much stronger position to defend the health system.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Omicron demands we bring back some restrictionsOpinion: We should bring back some restrictions on how people mix for a few weeks, while we get more information on Omicron’s severity and its ability to evade vaccines
Read more »
As Omicron surges and records fall, will we have to close borders again and increase restrictions?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.
Read more »
Netherlands enters ‘unavoidable’ lockdown as Omicron spurs tough restrictions across EuropeNations across Europe moved to reimpose tougher measures to stem a new wave of COVID-19 infections spurred by the highly transmissible omicron variant, with the Netherlands leading the way by imposing a nationwide lockdown.
Read more »
Calls for more COVID-19 restrictions as Omicron variant cases skyrocketPresident of the NSW AMA Dr Danielle McMullen said more needs to be done to stop the spread of Omicron due to the high transmissibility.
Read more »
Perrottet under pressure to backflip on COVID rules as Omicron surgesHealth experts are demanding Premier Dominic Perrottet reverse course and reintroduce mandatory mask-wearing for indoor environments as the Omicron variant takes hold in NSW
Read more »