While Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said the shift was “looking positive”, experts warned against complacency with the mask-wearing and booster dose uptake needed to manage future waves.
Earlier this month, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said authorities still needed to see more days of data before they could be confident the worst had passed.on Sunday, D’Ath said the trend was “looking positive”, with authorities continuing to monitor data including staff struck down by the virus.
Mater infectious diseases director Dr Paul Griffin said the state was now likely past the peak of the present wave, but warned high death figures would still lag and that getting future health messaging right was key. “It doesn’t mean the virus has gone away and that we should encourage people to throw away their masks and not stay up to date with their vaccines,” Griffin said.“It’s going to be really important that we try and keep some of those behaviours going so that we’re better prepared for the next wave.”
Former Queensland chief health officer and Queensland University of Technology public health expert Gerard FitzGerald agreed, adding that ensuring booster doses were kept up-to-date among vulnerable cohorts was the most important measure going forward.Despite the severity of the present wave, Queensland authorities — like others — have been reluctant to introduce new public health measures such as broader mask mandates in response to the wave.
Instead, they have opted to recommend people take personal responsibility for their health including the wearing of masks in busy and confined indoor spaces.
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