COVID changes need clarity

Transcript: AMA Queensland Vice President, Dr Nick Yim, ABC Brisbane, Saturday Breakfast with Kate O’Toole, 3 September 2022

Subject: Changes to COVID arrangements

KATE O'TOOLE:   Did you hear this week about the changes that have been made to the way that we approach the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic? Well, the Health Minister Yvette D’Ath announced that the blanket COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private healthcare workers is going to be lifted. The daily reporting of COVID stats is going to be wound back from this weekend, and that followed National Cabinet earlier this week also agreeing that those who test positive to the virus will now only need to isolate for five days. Also the mandatory wearing of masks on domestic flights, that'll be turned off or no longer required from the 9th of this month. So how are those who are on the front line of this pandemic, the doctors, the GPs, reflecting on those changes? Dr Nicholas Yim is the Vice President and Chair of Council within the Australian Medical Association of Queensland. Good morning, Dr Yim.

DR NICK YIM:   Good morning, Kate, and good morning, everyone.

KATE O'TOOLE:   So it feels like this pandemic is getting quieter. I mean, that's the impression that you would take from the changes to the ways that we're dealing with it, these pandemic measures. Is that how we should be approaching it at this stage?

DR NICK YIM:   From a pandemic perspective, we are definitely seeing a reduction of cases within hospitals, but to remind us all only a couple weeks ago, we had over a thousand people in Queensland hospitals with COVID, we’ve had over 2,000 Queenslanders die due to the virus. So I think we still need to be very cautious and not become complacent.

KATE O'TOOLE:   So what's your view on the changes announced this week? Are you in support of them?

DR NICK YIM:   To a certain degree, it’s a positive move forward, because we do need to eventually take personal responsibility. But as a healthcare professional, I think there's a bit of confusion, and we do need clarity. As a healthcare professional, it doesn't make sense to have mandatory vaccine mandates in the public sector, and then they're removed from the public sector. Why don't all healthcare workers need to be mandated, because aren't healthcare workers in the public and private sector the same thing?

KATE O'TOOLE:   Yeah. So what's the rationale you've been given for that?

DR NICK YIM:   We're still trying to work around that, to be honest. We're not too sure, because if someone is a doctor working in Queensland Health or a doctor working in private practice, we're still doctors treating the most vulnerable parts of the community. So we need to ensure that we are protecting our vulnerable parts of the community.

KATE O'TOOLE:   What about the idea of removing the mandate for masks on domestic flights, for example? I mean, that context of being in a plane is something that was of significant concern at the beginning of the pandemic - whenever there was a positive case, if you were on the same flight, if you were a couple of rows ahead or behind - and masks were considered to be pretty essential to stop the spread. So what's the reasoning for taking that mask requirement away?

DR NICK YIM:   I think we are moving towards that stage of that personal responsibility. Many Queenslanders would remember that a year ago when we had 20 cases in Queensland, we'd be locking down the borders. So with all these flexible measures, it does increase personal responsibility. I know myself, personally, when I'm working, I'm always wearing a mask, being a doctor. At the same time, when I'm going to a populated area, maybe a shopping centre, I'll keep a mask in my pocket. And at the same time, I still do a fair few flights, and even removal of this to me, ultimately we really want masks, especially at airports and also on the plane.

KATE O'TOOLE:   There's discussion around creating a COVID traffic light system so that we could have levels of alert moving forward. I mean, does that make sense?

DR NICK YIM:   I think, with regards to the traffic alert system, it comes down to public community and also healthcare workers. It does need clarity. At the moment, by the sounds of it, 2,000 cases, at the moment we're in a green traffic light zone, situation normal. But I guess, what does it mean when it goes to yellow? What does it mean when it goes to red? And I think that's what we are calling for essentially is clarity. So I guess we don't want confusion amongst the community. What does it mean? So it does, what we hope that the Queensland government can provide us is clarity for the situation.

KATE O'TOOLE:   And what would you need to ensure that clarity? You mean just deciding on a system and going for it, or what would make you comfortable with that?

DR NICK YIM:   As healthcare workers, we do need to have input into the designing of that model. We would like to see the draft and not have it released straight away. That obviously gives a bit of an early warning. We've learned from previous years, we as healthcare professionals on the frontline, we like to get to know before the general public knows of the changes.

KATE O'TOOLE:   And as we continue to move forward, is there any further health advice that you would give to the general public?

DR NICK YIM:   The general health advice has been very, very similar all the way through. It's not just COVID that's circulating amongst our community. We still have the common cold, we still have influenza, so a lot of respiratory viruses. If people are unwell, please don't send your children to school, please don't go to work unwell. You don't want to be infecting your colleagues and other students in schools. At the same time, if people haven't had their COVID booster, please get that booster. Over the past couple of years with the immunisation, it has prevented deaths. It has saved our healthcare system. At the same time, we do need to be cautious and avoid complacency.

KATE O'TOOLE:   Dr Nicholas Yim, thank you.