GP’s call for eradication strategy as a solution to the way forward
AUSTRALIA should be aiming for eradication rather than suppression of the coronavirus, says one of the Gold Coast’s top doctors.
Gold Coast Medical Association president Philip Morris says the latest cases to have arrived in Queensland at Logan are an example of why an intense shutdown to remove all transmission would be a good thing.
The Australian Government has followed an “aggressive suppression’’ approach to target outbreaks as they happen with tough restrictions, while allowing a low-key approach to continue in unaffected areas.
Commonwealth Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Nick Coatsworth said earlier this month elimination was only a realistic strategy when a vaccine became available.
But Dr Morris said suppression measures “simply aren’t working”.
“They say we are going to put out spot fires as they happen, but look at Victoria,’’ he said.
“Melbourne was meant to be a small cluster and now we have a lockdown of virtually the whole state.
“The cost is going to add up, the outbreaks are taking weeks to control and are getting expensive.
“A mass eradication push for a shutdown may be less damaging for the economy than suppression, and would mean we can return to relative normality.”
Dr Morris said the cases also revealed that border measures had been built on trust, leaving the region open to infection.
“The border protections we thought were strong seem to be porous,” he said. “The risk is we could get seeded from Logan or people across the border into the Gold Coast.”
The comments followed similar calls from Destination Gold Coast chief executive Annaliese Battista, who in March warned of “death by a thousand cuts’’, pleading instead for a full lockdown so business could then resume without worry.