Antiviral treatments becoming available
Dr Maria Boulton's uncle died of COVID before vaccines and antiviral treatments were available. Now that they are, people should take full advantage of them, she told Sunrise.
Transcript: AMA Queensland President, Dr Maria Boulton, Seven Network, Sunrise with Monique Wright and Matt Doran, Sunday 10 July 2022
Subjects: COVID outbreak, antiviral treatment
MONIQUE WRIGHT: For more, we're joined now by the President of the Australian Medical Association in Queensland, Dr Maria Boulton. Good morning to you Doctor, thanks for being with us. What would you say to people who are this morning sitting back and saying, "I'm just not sure whether I'm going to get this fourth jab. I feel as if I've had too many."
DR MARIA BOULTON: Good morning, Mon, and look, I understand why people are fatigued with this pandemic, but the reality is that coronavirus keeps mutating and we're dealing with a very, very infectious variant, the BA.4 and the BA.5. And what we know, and what the scientific advice is, is that we need that fourth booster dose to be further protected. This is a deadly disease. Yesterday we lost eight Queenslanders to it. I've lost an uncle to it. And our hospitals are chock-a-block with people who have COVID. So yesterday we had 719 Queenslanders in hospital and our hospitals are already stretched. Worst scenario is that say, for example, if you're having a heart attack or a stroke that you have trouble finding a hospital bed. We don't want to get to that.
MONIQUE WRIGHT: Just you mentioning there, Doctor, about your uncle. We hear all these numbers, but behind every one of those numbers is a family member. It is someone that is loved in the community. I think it's really important to just remember that, because lots of us are walking around thinking that the pandemic is over, the Prime Minister is saying we don't need any other restrictions. What's your view on that about masks and so on?
DR MARIA BOULTON: AMA Queensland has never stopped recommending masks. We know they make a difference. So if you're going somewhere where you can't socially distance, it is important that you wear a mask.
The other thing that we haven't heard much about is antivirals. We know now that antivirals are freely available via a script from your GP. So if you're over 65, if you're First Nations and over 50, or if you're immunosuppressed, you may be eligible for an antiviral. And it's important to realise that antivirals are not just for people who have severe symptoms - it's to actually prevent those severe symptoms. So we urge people who are in those age groups to ring the National Coronavirus Hotline to see whether they may be eligible.
My uncle, he passed away before vaccines were available, before antivirals were available. We are two years down the track now. There's so much more available and it's up to us to make sure that we're protected the best way we can be.
MONIQUE WRIGHT: As you mentioned, it's hitting Queensland particularly hard. The hospital system is absolutely groaning there as it is in several other states. In terms of antivirals, do you think that needs to be extended beyond the current criteria? Because there are plenty of people who are dying who are not 65 or over or immunocompromised.
DR MARIA BOULTON: Look, I think it's worth consideration. It's also worth considering the COVID vaccine, to extend it to all healthcare workers. Once again, healthcare workers are in that front line. We would like for them to all have access to that fourth booster.
MONIQUE WRIGHT: Okay. Dr Maria Boulton. Thank you so much for being with us this morning. We really appreciate it.
DR MARIA BOULTON: Thank you.