Australia may experience millions of additional COVID-19 cases before the end of the winter as more people opt not to get fast tests because of rising cost of living concerns.
As the number of cases this winter continues to increase, health minister Mark Butler stated on Tuesday that wearing masks indoors and staying home while ill are crucial steps to prevent the illness from spreading.
He told Sunrise that this was the third wave this year alone. “Case numbers have already increased, and it is probable that millions of Australians may contract COVID-19 in the coming weeks.”
Naturally, we want to reduce transmission by encouraging people to wear masks indoors, especially in situations where they cannot socially remove themselves.
On Wednesday, Australia added 41,335 new cases, raising the total number of current illnesses to 314,075.
Most patients, 4,468, were between the ages of 20 and 29, and they required hospitalization.
In order to keep hospitalizations down and relieve pressure on the healthcare system, Mr. Butler said he wanted to see more Australians receive their fourth vaccination.
He stated, “We have truly launched this effort to stress the significance of receiving boosters.
In order to increase Australians’ protection during the winter, we have increased their eligibility for a fourth dose.
We have access to antiviral medications that are quite successful at preventing patients from becoming seriously unwell and requiring hospitalization.
The government’s advice to work from home comes as a number of struggling businesses in Sydney’s central business district warn that empty premises are sapping their operations.
Two years after the pandemic initially started, hectares of Sydney’s CBD office space are still vacant, with commercial office vacancy rates in the double digits.
In Sydney’s opulent Barangaroo business district, Sonya Gee of Martini Dry Cleaning stated, “We expected it would pick up after Christmas, but that never occurred.”
“Then we anticipated it would happen after the summer break, but nada – then Easter, but no.” We simply accept this as the current situation.
While people may be tired of regulations, Mr. Butler continued, it’s crucial to maintain high standards for health care.
“I believe we are well into the third year of the pandemic and have reached a stage where people want decent advice more than they want government mandates,” he said.
“We need to transition into a stage where this condition is still very dangerous but we are getting past government regulations and lockdowns.”
Chief health officers advise putting on a mask if you’re in a busy indoor area and unable to socially remove yourself.
Not only will it keep you from getting sick, but it may also keep others close to you from contracting a serious sickness.
In the meanwhile, the Australian Medical Association and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners joined forces with the opposition to urge the Albanese Government to reconsider eliminating free rapid antigen testing (RATs) for concession card members.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urged holders of concession cards to stock up on the free exams while they were still available and accused the previous Morrison administration of terminating the program.
“This is a choice that was inherited from the prior government and state governments,” he said in an interview with ABC Radio.
“We inherited a variety of positions from the previous administration, as well as a trillion dollars in debt.”
I’d advise concession cardholders to take advantage of their right to 10 free rapid antigen tests by the end of this month. You still have plenty of time to go do that.
Since January, elderly Australians and those on low incomes have had access to free tests, but detractors claim that because of rising cost-of-living pressures, these groups will likely forego getting checked when they exhibit symptoms.
According to Opposition spokeswoman Anne Ruston, “to end this program at a time when we are seeing a massive increase in the number of COVID-19 cases and cost of living pressures are seriously impacting Australians, appears premature.”
“As we’ve done throughout the pandemic, we need to be responding to what’s happening on the ground at the time, and things have changed; we’ve seen another wave go through,” the speaker said.