Health Advice critical to recovery plan
AMA President, Dr Omar Khorshid, has expressed concern at the apparent shift in approach to the management of COVID-19 in NSW, and the potential sidelining of public health advice.
Opening too fast or too early risks avoidable deaths and the reintroduction of lockdowns and other restrictions.
The AMA supports the gradual opening up of the economy and the loosening of restrictions, but it is critical to observe the impact of each step on transmission and case numbers, otherwise NSW may still see hospitals become completely overwhelmed despite high vaccination rates.
Dr Khorshid highlighted that if the NSW ‘COVID and Economic Recovery Committee’ moves to open the economy faster than is advised by health experts and the modelling, they will ultimately be held accountable for the impacts of those decisions, including potentially excess deaths, overwhelmed hospitals and the economic catastrophe that would accompany further lockdowns.
The AMA supports opening-up, but it must be done wisely and cautiously, with the ability to pause and assess the impact of lifting restrictions, before moving to the next stage. To do otherwise risks far too much.
