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REGULAR ONLINE COLUMN FROM
THE INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVE
Before the latest free-for-all approach to the management of the COVID-19 virus, a big part of the conversation was about flattening the curve; that is, keeping admissions to hospital low to ensure that the health system wasn’t overwhelmed. A key part of the strategy was encouraging vaccination, because if you are vaccinated, it is scientifically proven that you are less likely to get seriously ill and end up in hospital if infected with the COVID-19 virus. That evidence comes from the latest NSW Health In Focus Report, available at www.health.nsw.gov.au. As of January 2, 2022, 91.6 per cent of the NSW population 12 and over were fully vaccinated according to NSW Health’s COVID-19 Monitor. The number of COVID-19 patients in hospital at 2 January were 1,204 with 29.9 per cent unvaccinated and 67.4 per cent vaccinated.
Local GP speaks ‘While the number of vaccinated people hospitalised is greater than those unvaccinated, this is because we have such a high vaccination rate, local Byron Shire GP, Dr Joel Hissink told The Echo. ‘It is more informative to consider the difference in hospitalisation/ICU rates as follows (per one million people): The hospital rate among unvaccinated/fully vaccinated population (aged 12 +) is (at January 2) 578.2/83.4’. ‘The ICU rate among
Byron Shire GP, Dr Joel Hissink. Photo byronmed.com.au
unvaccinated/fully vaccinated population (aged 12+) is 82.5/4.7 (COVID Monitor 2 January). ‘This translates to unvaccinated people being seven times more likely to require hospitalisation for COVID-19 and 17.5 times more likely to require admission to ICU at this point in time,’ he said. ‘Of course, if we had a 100 per cent vaccination rate, then 100 per cent of hospitalisations and ICU admissions would be of vaccinated patients. ‘There are a few reasons for this. ‘One is that no vaccine cover is perfect. ‘The COVID-19 vaccines have quite good efficacy, around 70–80 per cent early on, influenza vaccine efficacy is around 30–60 per cent, while measles vaccine efficacy is 99 per cent. ‘Other reasons for vaccinated people still requiring hospitalisation are that some people may not develop an adequate immune response to the vaccine because of
Storylines Budgeram
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8 The Byron Shire Echo `ëŕƖëſƷ Ǩǩǽ ǩǧǩǩ
adhere to, public health measures is critical to minimising case numbers to reduce the pressure on our health services, and the impact on delivery of routine and life-saving medical and surgical services for non-COVID related medical conditions’. ‘Each of us doing everything we can to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 disease is also critical to support our local community organisations, and businesses to continue to operate.
Impacts ‘Yes, some public health measures impact businesses, and they also limit our ability to do the things that we want to do, but as is clearly the case right now, the widespread burden of COVID-19 disease is severely impacting many businesses, causing death and disability and pressuring an already fragile health system.’
Daily COVID-19 confirmed cases for Northern NSW Local Health District Graph produced by The Echo. Data sourced from NNSWLHD: https://nnswlhd.health.nsw.gov.au/blog/category/media-releases/ Source: https://nnswlhd.health.nsw.gov.au/blog/category/media-releases/
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800
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Tuesday 18 and Wednesday 19 January – 10 am to 1pm via Zoom For NDIS participants, the cost of this masterclass can be invoiced to your plan. For non NDIS participants, costs as follows: 16-18 years $30/day, 18yr+ $40/day. For registration and more information contact us on info@sprung.org.au
*Budgeram means story in Bundjalung language.
immunosuppression, thus remain vulnerable to the disease. ‘Their immunosuppression may be owing to them receiving life-saving treatment for cancer or other comorbidities. ‘This is one of the reasons why it is so important to aim for a high vaccination rate, in order to reduce the spread of disease to protect those in our community who do everything they can to stay safe, including getting themselves vaccinated, but still remain at high risk of the disease’. In the Northern Rivers, infections of COVID continue to rise, which is having a significant impact on the health system’s ability to respond. It’s also putting pressure on businesses being able to open and operate, as people are being required to isolate and test to help reduce infection transmission. Dr Hissink told The Echo, ‘Continuing to apply, and
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There is now financial support of up to $750 per week for individuals who have lost work because they have had to isolate – or if you are caring for someone who has to self-isolate or quarantine owing to COVID-19. The Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment is a lump sum payment to help you during the time you can’t work and earn income, because ‘You have COVID-19, for isolation periods starting before 10 January 2022, you must have been directly informed you have COVID-19 by a health official – that you’re a close contact with a person who has COVID-19; you care for a child, 16 years or under, who has COVID-19; that a child you care for who is 16 years or under, is a close contact with
a person who has COVID-19; you’re caring for someone who has COVID-19; you’re caring for someone with disability or a severe medical condition who must selfisolate or quarantine because they’re a close contact of a person with COVID-19’. From Monday January 10, Services Australia will accept both Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) results. You’ll need to have either: advice of a positive test from a testing clinic or health professional, or evidence you’ve registered a positive result from a home-administered RAT with your state health authority. To apply, visit https://bit.ly/3I5gr7R. Read more about who can get it at www.bit.ly/3q8LB7S. www.echo.net.au