Australia: Doctor calls on government to act urgently with healthcare system ‘at crisis point’ as Omicron peak is yet to hit
July 13, 2022
New modelling shows the latest Omicron peak is yet to hit Melbourne as calls for mandatory masks indoors are rejected.
A leading doctor is calling for the government and Victorians to act urgently to stop the spread of COVID-19, with the state’s healthcare system at “crisis point”.
President of the Australian Medical Association of Victoria Dr Roderick McRae told 9News the state government needs to mandate mask-wearing inside and extend COVID-19 isolation payments to ease pressure on the overwhelmed healthcare system
He was it was “very disappointing” that Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas had ignored the chief health officer’s recommendations to mandate masks in schools, child care, retail and hospitality.
Thomas announced her decision yesterday, saying, “we believe after three years, Victorians know what to do”.
McRa
“While the government insists that people know what the right thing to do is, they’re watching while people are not doing the right thing.
“So something has to change because the healthcare system is at breaking point.”
He said the government knew that transmission rates of COVID-19 were down when masks were mandated.
It comes as secret modelling prepared for the state government indicates infections will spike in August, but hospitalisations won’t be as bad as they were in January.
Professor Margaret Hellard of the Burnet Institute, which produced the modelling, predicted the latest wave of COVID-19 would peak next month.
“Our biggest concern (is) that we’re going to have a peak with that BA.4, BA.5 in mid-August,” she said.
McRae said it was “crazy” that the government had just changed the COVID-19 isolation rules to allow people infected with the virus to drive household members around to where they would attend indoor settings.
The government announced yesterday that positive cases could leave isolation to provide transport for household members to obtain food if necessary.
The doctor said the government also needed to extend the COVID-19 Test Isolation Payment, perhaps until October 10, to stop people going to work while infected with the virus.
McRae said Victorians needed to wear masks and do all they could to stop COVID-19 spreading.
“What we need is the entire Victorian community to work together to minimise the transmission of the virus and minimise the demand on an already overwhelmed system,” he said.
“Don’t overwhelm the system by getting COVID, spreading COVID, getting sick.”
He said while a small percentage of people with the virus needed to be hospitalised, those patients would still further overwhelm the healthcare system.
McRae said these actions were needed because “the healthcare system is at a crisis point”.
“The time to strike is now,” he said.
“There is very little point in just sleepwalking into what is looking like an increasing disaster.”
9NEWS
