Wed 20 July 2022:
As the number of patients in hospitalised with COVID-19, Australians have been urged to work from home and wear masks indoors.
The BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants are causing the third wave of coronavirus in the country, earlier this month, access to second booster shots was expanded to address the recent spike in cases.
Daily cases climbed to 50,248 on Tuesday, the highest in two months.
Some 5,239 Australians are currently in hospital with COVID-19, just short of the record 5,390 recorded in January.
“We need to do some things differently at least for a short period of time,” Australia’s Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly told ABC Radio on Wednesday, as he predicted the number of people admitted to hospital will soon hit an all-time high.
“We know that working from home is a very key component of stopping what we call macro spreading.”
“Businesses will continue to make those decisions,” Albanese was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald. “They need to make them on the basis of safety. But also, for some people, we need to recognise that they can’t work from home.
“It’s a matter of getting the balance right. I’m confident that with a bit of common sense applied, we can do that.”
Australia began easing up on its strict coronavirus health regulations toward the end of last year, after the majority of the population had been fully vaccinated against the virus. However, the high transmissibility of the Omicron variants has put Australia’s strategy of “living with the virus” to the test.
Protect yourself, protect others.
1. Get your booster.
2. Wear a mask if you can’t socially distance.
3. Stay home if you’re sick.
4. Access anti-virals if you’re eligible. pic.twitter.com/6j8sZhnUuc— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) July 20, 2022
Over the past seven days, more than 300,000 cases have been reported, placing a strain on the healthcare system due to an increase in the number of nurses and doctors who are sick or isolated due to the virus.
Although the authorities advise wearing masks indoors, they have not made it mandatory. Australia has already reinstated support payments for casual workers who are required to quarantine due to COVID-19.
Over 70% of Australians over the age of 16 have received a booster shot, which helps protect against serious illness, and about 95% of residents in Australia over that age have received two doses of the coronavirus vaccine.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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