More COVID peaks to come

Transcript: AMA Queensland President, Dr Maria Boulton, 4BC, Drive with Peter Fegan, Wednesday 6 July 2022

Subjects: COVID, health workforce

PETER FEGAN:   AMA Queensland President, Dr Maria Boulton, who's a good friend of 4BC, good friend of this program, she joins me on the line. Doctor, good afternoon.

DR MARIA BOULTON:   Good afternoon, Peter.

PETER FEGAN:   These numbers in this current wave are bad.

DR MARIA BOULTON:   Yeah, they are a big concern. And I guess the biggest concern for us is that we're still not at the peak. So we're going to be in this for a few more weeks yet.

PETER FEGAN:   Unfortunately. Now, ATAGI is still meeting right now, as we speak, discussing the possible recommendation for a fourth jab for under-65s. A decision may not come until Friday, Federal Health Minister Mark Butler has told 3AW. What's your thoughts on getting a fourth jab for under 65s?

DR MARIA BOULTON:   We were discussing this very issue with Queensland Health today. We're particularly concerned about healthcare workers and the fact that our workforce is being decimated. And we made the suggestion that they should reconsider and offer a booster to all healthcare workers who want one so that they stay at work instead of being sick at home. We will support whatever ATAGI decides, of course, but we feel that our workforce needs to be shored up, and we need to make sure that they're protected as well.

PETER FEGAN:   But you've got to think that there's 2,016 furloughed staff today, 2,016 healthcare workers that are unable to go to work. On top of that, you've got 705 patients. Then you've got 100 patients with the flu. Now, at the peak, 928 patients in that second or that first Omicron wave, I should say, 928. We're not far from that. Now, let's remember that when there were 928 patients in our hospitals, there were restrictions: elective surgery, visiting restrictions, in- and outpatient restrictions. Surely, and I hate to say it, but surely the government, yourself, and the Chief Health Officer are discussing the next step.

DR MARIA BOULTON:   Yeah, most definitely. And also, we're discussing the fact that not enough people have had a booster dose. So we know that the booster doses help, and we know that only 50 per cent of people over the age of 65 have had that winter fourth booster dose. It's important that those people present because they are high risk.

The other thing we know is that masks do make a difference. And I'm going to change that advice a little bit in that when I go to the supermarket, I actually wear a mask, and I am younger than 65. So I guess if we can all do our bit, we need to make sure that our hospitals are coping, and the Chief Health Officer said this morning that they are stretched already. So we can all do our bit. Wear a mask, stay home if you're sick, and if you haven't had your booster dose, go have your booster dose.

PETER FEGAN:   Are you getting further cooperation from the Health Minister and her team and the Chief Health Officer? I know there's been times where, I guess, the AMA Queensland and yourself and the Chief Health Officer and Minister Yvette D'Ath have... I guess the conversation's broken down and there's been times where you may not have agreed on things. How is the relationship now?

DR MARIA BOULTON:   One of the biggest lessons learned from COVID was the fact that we need to make sure that that communication happens, especially between hospital services and general practice, because we know that general practice do a lot of the heavy lifting. And it is great to see that they have taken that advice on board. And it's great to see that we're having regular meetings once again.

Just today we were discussing the availability of antivirals and the fact that the message isn't getting across to patients that if you're over 65 and you have medical illnesses, or if you're over 50 and you're Indigenous, or if you're immunosuppressed, those antiviral medications are not just for people who have severe illness, they're also for people to prevent that severe illness. So people don't seem to realise that. And they're freely available now. And it's important that if you have COVID, if you belong in those categories, that you contact your GP.

PETER FEGAN:   And what's the latest with this monkeypox? Is this a thing, or are we overreacting?

DR MARIA BOULTON:   Yeah, look, I think we've had a big scare with COVID. I think it's been quite dramatic, and it's something that we're keeping a close eye on. It doesn't seem to be as contagious, of course, as COVID. COVID has pretty much done a number on us. I've had an uncle die from COVID-

PETER FEGAN:   Oh, wow.

DR MARIA BOULTON:... and it's been very, very difficult.

PETER FEGAN:   Sorry to hear that.

DR MARIA BOULTON:   Yeah. Yeah. He was a doctor, and he passed away before the vaccines were available. And so we've all been touched by COVID.

PETER FEGAN:   Do you mind me asking how old he was and, I guess, when he did pass, how sick he was?

DR MARIA BOULTON:   Yeah. He was a very fit gentleman in his early 60s, and he was actually running marathons. And he caught COVID at work because of the work that he does. And it was before the vaccines were available. So it's devastating, but it's devastating for so many of us.

PETER FEGAN:   See, this is what people don't understand. And I get it. We're over it. We're over it. Everyone's over it. We don't want to go back to masks. We don't want to go back to restrictions. Businesses are back on their feet. We all get it, and we're all tired of it. And I hate talking about it as much as you hate talking about it. But when you hear about people in their 60s dying from it, that's before the vaccine, given that, but then you hear about people... I don't suggest that 70 is old, and there's people in their 70s dying from this every month, every week.

DR MARIA BOULTON:   Yeah. That's someone's loved one. And five people passed away overnight, and it's incredibly distressing. And the other thing nobody wants to go back to as well is home schooling. Remember those days? Oh my goodness.

PETER FEGAN:   Oh, well, I don't have children, thank God. But I know my mum was helping out with my nephew. But yeah, I couldn't imagine my parents would... My dad would've killed me if he ever home schooled me, school was the only thing that stopped him from killing me.

DR MARIA BOULTON:   And it's not fun for kids to be home schooled. They need their friends and they need that social interaction. But you know what? We also need to keep them well, too. So we need to do everything possible in our power to try and stay healthy ourselves. And if that's having another booster that we're eligible for, or if that's wearing a mask, or if that's washing your hands, then I think it's a small price to pay.

PETER FEGAN:   Dr Maria Boulton is the President of the AMA here in Queensland. We are having a chat about COVID. We know that we hate having this conversation, but it's very important that we cover it off today. Doc, I want to ask you this, and this has been an age-old argument and one that's never been resolved. I've spoken to the Health Minister Yvette D'Ath. I've spoken to the Chief Health Officer about it. This is about the furloughed staff. And I've got to say, speaking to Yvette D'Ath, there is no easy way out of this. It's a very, very difficult process, this. And that is that, look, if health workers have COVID, like any of us, I guess, in the media or doctors like yourself, you can't go to work. That's the simple facts. You cannot go to work. But is there a way around this where health workers can return sooner? Because I know that we've still got to isolate and do those things and pass a negative test, but sometimes people pass negative for COVID after three or four days.

DR MARIA BOULTON:   There are special provisions. So if you are acutely critically low in workers, and depending on the individual circumstances and depending what sort of PPE they have, there are special provisions for that. And I mean, I'm a GP, so we're very, very lucky that we have access to telehealth. And the GPs at my clinic are fantastic. If they're feeling okay, and if they're at home with COVID, they will do telehealth to ensure that their patients are still looked after. And the other thing is just making sure that all healthcare workers, be it in the hospital, general practice etc, have adequate access to PPE, which seems simple enough, but I know that there's general practitioners and general practice nurses and admin who haven't been fit-tested, who don't have adequate masks still to this day, two years and a half into the pandemic.

PETER FEGAN:   Well, look, fingers crossed things don't get too much worse, but we unfortunately know that they will get a little worse. But let's hope that we can all work together as we've done. We've done so well here in Queensland. Dr Maria Boulton, President of AMA Queensland, really appreciate your time.

6 June 2022

CONTACT: media@amaq.com.au 0419 735 641