We are going to have more virus as a result of the decision to scrap mandatory isolation @CrabbBrendan tells @abcnews "We seem to have surrendered to the virus for now and for its devastating effects. I just don't understand because we can hold the line." https://t.co/mneeKbnhId pic.twitter.com/Um5E13HzHS
— Burnet Institute (@BurnetInstitute) September 30, 2022
ABC News, 30 September 2022:
Rules forcing people to isolate for five days if they test positive to COVID-19 will end from October 14 for everyone, with support for some workers to be able to continue isolation if needed.
States will determine how to implement the change, but national cabinet agreed to continue targeted financial support for casual workers in aged care, disability care, Aboriginal health care and hospital care.
Support payments for people infected with COVID-19 who are not in those sectors will also end from October 14, with payments that continue to be funded equally by the Commonwealth and individual states or territories.
Scrapping mandatory isolation marks the end of one of the last remaining pandemic restrictions.
COVID-19 deaths soaring in aged care
The vast majority of COVID-19 aged care deaths have occurred this year, but some worry we've started looking the other way.
Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said he was asked to provide advice on whether isolation periods should be scrapped, and said he recognised there were low rates of COVID-19 transmission and high vaccination rates.
"It does not in any way suggest that the pandemic is finished," he said.
"We will almost certainly see future peaks of the virus into the future, as we have seen earlier in this year.
"However, at the moment, we have very low rates of … cases, hospitalisations, intensive care admissions, aged-care outbreaks and various other measures that we have been following very closely."…..
Professor Kelly's advice to national cabinet noted that "continued capacity to surge the response if required" remained a necessary consideration…...
The Sydney Morning Herald, 1 October 2022:
Australian Medical Association president Steve Robson warned that dropping the requirement for COVID patients to isolate for five days could potentially lead to new waves of infection.
“Whenever there’s a new wave it has an enormous effect on hospital capacity,” Robson said. “If you are in a vulnerable place, just wear a mask. If you do get sick, try and minimise transmission by isolating.
“And while this is going on, let’s rethink how we can organise better air circulation and ventilation.“
Robson also urged people to remain vigilant about vaccination. “People aren’t bothering to have boosters, we’ve got waning immunity in a big way,” he said.
He said that hospitalisations were currently low because so many people had COVID over the past few months – but that number would rise as people become reinfected.
“The COVID numbers look artificially low because the government has made it harder to get a PCR, and no one gives a rat about RATs,” he said.
Robson, who was voted president of the medical body in August, earlier conceded that attitudes to the virus had shifted since the beginning of the pandemic, but said that any approach that involved ″living with COVID″ meant simultaneously increasing the capacity of health systems across the country……
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation assistant secretary Lori-Anne Sharp said if more variants of the virus emerged, there would be extra pressure on hospitals…...
BACKGROUND
Globally, as of 6:20pm CEST, 30 September 2022, there have been a cumulative total of 614,385,693 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 6,522,600 deaths, reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO). A total of 325,602 new confirmed cases and 1,668 COVID-19 deaths were reported to WHO in that same 24 hour reporting period.
In the Western Pacific Region which includes Australia on 28 September 2022 there were 92,674 new confirmed cases and 120 COVID-19 deaths. It should be noted that the Western Pacific Region is sometimes characterised by WHO as lagging in reporting COVID-19 infection data.
While in Australia the federal Dept. of Health’s latest report available on 30 September 2022 was for COVID-19 data as a cumulative infection count for 2022 only and a ‘trends’ count of 7 day averages as at 27 September 2022.
Leaving other sources to reveal Australia’s COVID-19 data for the 7 days up to 30 September 2022 as:
A total of 39,564 new confirmed COVID-19 cases including 282 deaths. A total of 1, 563 people in hospital with COVID-19 infection of which 46 were in intensive care units. The national infection rate stood at 0.94.
Included in this count over 7 days were 12,592 new confirmed cases in New South Wales including 82 COVID-19 deaths. As well as 1,057 people hospitalised with COVID-19 infection of which 24 were in intensive care units. [Prof. Adrian Esterman, Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of South Australia, writing as @profesterman]
As of 28 September 2022 a total of 16,161,728 individuals aged 5 to 90+ years had received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine in an Australian population of 25,890,773 people (Australian Bureau of Statistics March 2022). Only 4,879,507 individuals were fully vaccinated with four doses. Those numbers represents a mere 62.4% and 18.84% respectively of the total population.
On 28 September 2022 people were being infected with COVID-19 and re-infected across the entire age range of the population.
It should be noted that from July-August 2020 onwards there have been reliable media reports that there is an ongoing and significant under reporting of COVID-19 infection in Australia and its state and territories.
An 8 September 2022 Public Statement by Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC), the key decision-making committee for health emergencies. It is comprised of all state and territory Chief Health Officers and chaired by the Australian Chief Medical Officer:
The AHPPC notes the need for a proportionate approach to isolation for those with COVID-19 infections at this stage of the pandemic. The AHPPC further notes that while balancing a proportionate approach to isolation for all Australians, it is important to ensure the continued protection of those most vulnerable to severe illness from COVID-19 especially in settings where there is increased risk of outbreaks occuring.
Noting this, while COVID-19 cases with no symptoms after five days may leave isolation, the AHPPC strongly advises that these individuals should be excluded from attending high-risk settings (such as residential aged care facilities, disability care facilities and hospitals) until at least seven days following their positive test result and they remain symptom-free. This applies to both staff and visitors.
It remains important for people who continue to have respiratory symptoms after five days following a positive test to continue to isolate until symptoms have resolved.
For those who test positive to COVID-19, please refer to your state or territory website for information about the period of infectiousness, what symptom-free means, how to access antiviral treatment and the steps you can take to reduce the risk of infecting others.
No changes are recommended to the management of close contacts. Close contacts should continue to monitor for symptoms, avoid high-risk settings, wear a mask when outside the home, test for COVID-19 and stay at home should symptoms develop.
The AHPPC notes the importance of workplaces in using a workplace safety framework whilst implementing this transition, and reiterates the shared responsibility of all Australians in minimising the ongoing impact of COVID-19.
The AHPPC continues to reiterate the importance of other risk mitigating strategies to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on individuals and the community. This includes the following:
Ensure you are up to date with recommended vaccinations;
Stay home if you are unwell, and get tested;
Speak to your healthcare professional about eligibility for treatments should you become unwell with COVID-19;
Consider wearing a mask when outside your home and especially when in crowded, indoor environments such as public transport;
Keep indoor spaces well ventilated;
Practise good respiratory and hand hygiene.
NOTE: Concerning Dr. Paul Kelly's unsupported letter of advice to the Prime Minister, dated 29 September 2022.
The letter was prepared within a day and provides one individual’s advice and underpinning rationale to end mandatory isolation for COVID-19.
— Public Health Association Australia (@_PHAA_) September 30, 2022
The role of AHPPC, which is meant to advise national cabinet, is not mentioned in this letter.
