Dr. Monique Ryan Independent MP for Kooyong: "In rapidly dismantling most measures to identify and limit the spread of COVID in our community, the government has chosen to leave the most vulnerable Australians behind. It has also rolled the dice on its own political fortunes"

Dr. Monique Ryan, Independent MP for Kooyong, writing in The Age, 3 October 2022:

The Albanese government would like to pretend that the global pandemic is over. Sadly, it’s not.

In rapidly dismantling most measures to identify and limit the spread of COVID in our community, the government has chosen to leave the most vulnerable Australians behind. It has also rolled the dice on its own political fortunes, gambling there won’t be another summer like the last; one of uncontrolled spread, unavailable testing, unstocked shelves, cancelled family gatherings, anxiety and uncertainty.

The public has a right to know how and why the decisions to end mandatory isolation periods for COVID-19 were made. It appears that the only health advice considered by the national cabinet last week came from the Chief Medical Officer, Paul Kelly. It is disturbing that the new Labor government excluded the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee – our key expert body for health emergencies, the state health officers who’ve guided our COVID response in the past three years – from this crucial decision on pandemic management.

The Albanese government has generally been on point in its first four months. Other than an aborted attempt at stopping pandemic leave in July, this is its first real misstep, one which could have grave consequences.

Australians would like COVID to go away so that we could just get back to normal. The government would like COVID to go away so that our workforce and economy can recover. Healthcare workers would like COVID to go away, so they can make inroads into the massive backlogs for elective surgery and outpatient appointments. Most poignantly, the aged, chronically ill, disabled and immunocompromised would like COVID to go away, so they could safely re-join the rest of us. Many feel isolated, at risk and increasingly marginalised by the desire of mainstream Australia – and now of their government – to pretend that COVID is no longer a threat.

Sadly, COVID is still a threat. About 10 million Australians have had COVID this year. Most have not been too unwell, but at least 200,000 have developed long COVID, with its persistent fatigue, brain fog and breathing difficulties. While more likely to develop in unvaccinated, older and sicker patients, long COVID also affects the immunised and the young. It’s more common after repeated infection. Other complications – stroke, heart attack, blood clots and sudden death – are twice as frequent in the year after having COVID in people of all ages.

Comparisons of COVID with the flu are nonsensical. Influenza is much less infectious and much less lethal than COVID. Flu does not cause a disabling chronic illness in 5 per cent of people. Flu does not cause a 17 per cent increase in the national death rate. Flu does not cause late cardiac events, stroke or dementia.

Australia’s most severe wave of COVID ended just two months ago. Unfortunately, the emergence of new variants is almost guaranteed. We’ve learnt that immunity from vaccines and previous infection wanes after four to six months. Without quarantine, easily available testing, masks or other public health measures to limit its spread, a variant as infectious as Omicron and as severe as Delta could cause chaos in this country within weeks…..

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