The number of Covid-19 cases has dropped from a peak of over 175,000 cases a day to less than 50,000 cases a day on 31 January. The total number of hospitalized is now less than 5,000. And starting from today, the schools start a new year and we are yet to see whether a surge in cases will restart again.
The booster program has only about 50% of the eligible population vaccinated reaching 200,000 vaccinations a day. Unless the booking and delivery systems are improved, more and more Australians vaccinated with two doses of vaccines are under the threat of Omicron. The governments have no choice but to speed up the booster program.
The 5-11 children vaccination program is also unsatisfactory. The Victorian government provide two RATs per week for school children attending school, hoping to gain the trust of parents. The governments should do more by getting more school children to be vaccinated in schools. The basic requirement is that at least one dose must be delivered.
It is fortunate that the peak of infection has passed and our health systems are still intact. However, most Australians will agree that Omicron has exposed a hole in the preparation of the governments towards the opening of Australia. A royal commission should be established to investigate any mistakes that have been committed by the government so that Australians can be protected more efficiently.
Scientists have warned that Omicron will not be the last variant of Covid-19. As a result, an investigation by a royal commission will give great trust and confidence to the public towards the federal and state governments. In the case of RATs, federal and state governments have put the blame and responsibilities on the other parties. The party need to know who should be responsible for the chaos so that this will not happen again in the future.
Regards,
Raymond Chow
Publisher, BlessingCALD