Fear a real hurdle in Covid-free states

former deputy chief medical officer says he is worried the intense fear of Covid-19 within states largely untouched by the virus may hinder the country from moving forward.

Professor Nick Coatsworth, the executive director of medical services at Canberra Hospital, told a Senate committee on Tuesday that he felt “cautious optimism” about the future of the pandemic.

He said Covid-19 was a “terribly scary disease in 2020” and remains so, particularly for the unvaccinated, but it must be reinforced that there are effective treatments and vaccines available.

Questioned about his endorsement of a “psychological runway” getting Australians used to opening up and living with Covid, Professor CoatAUSTRALIA’S sworth said he was “most worried” about the attitude of states that have kept the virus at bay with border closures and lockdowns.

“The states like Queensland and Western Australia, South Australia, the Northern Territory, that don’t have Covid, sort of look towards the states that have Covid with a significant amount of fear,” he said.

Federal president of the Australian Medical Association Omar Khorshid told the committee routine healthcare had already been disrupted by the pandemic and he was concerned about the pressure opening up would place on the system.

“We are worried that as we open up the cracks in the healthcare system will widen and we will face very significant impacts, particularly if we open too fast or go too far ahead of our vaccination rates,” he said.

Dr Khorshid said in many parts of Australia the health system had already been operating at 100 per cent capacity prior to the pandemic.

Elective surgeries and preventive healthcare had been shunted aside as a consequence, he said, but the delays and cancellations were untenable.

“If we don’t do it, we will pay a price for not doing it.”