CRITICAL TIME APPROACHES

AUSTRALIA’S political leaders will be forced to walk an increasingly shaky tightrope as calls to fast- track the use of COVID- 19 vaccines gain momentum. It is an unenviable decision to have to make as the factors to be balanced are difficult to weigh and the stakes could not be higher. In the first instance, the longer we wait the greater the risk of another outbreak. So far we have truly been the Lucky Country but even so Federal Health Department figures show 909 Australians have lost their lives to the pandemic – among those 13 Tasmanians.

The vast majority of deaths have occurred in Victoria and the 820 lives lost there stand as a stark reminder of the tragic consequences we face should another outbreak occur. Another issue in- play will be the need to ensure we are on the bus which drives the world’s economic recovery.

There is no doubt it will be leaving the station shortly after Northern Hemisphere nations achieve inoculation.

And Australia likely risks missing the ride if we move too slowly.

Against this there is no denying people will feel more at- ease with being given the vaccine if they have longer to observe its effects overseas. There is a pre- existing element of the community which has already taken a staunchly anti- vaccination stance.

Should governments move too quickly they will risk giving airtime to voices which will no doubt attempt to convert people’s fears into increased influence.

And sadly, should this group expand too much we run the risk of failing to have a sufficient portion of our population immune to the virus. You do have to wonder whether many among us would adopt such a position if Australia was facing the rate of death and infection being witnessed in the US and the UK.

Indeed the situation in those nations appears to be so dire that no lockdown, no matter how long and strict seems capable of getting numbers back under control.

In Australia numbers have fallen to the point where eradication of the virus is almost within reach.

However, we do need to remain mindful of the fact eradication has never been the strategy and containment and control is more likely to strike the right balance.

The New South Wales state government response to the outbreak on Sydney’s Northern Beaches suggests numbers can be kept down without the harshness of the Victorian style lockdown.

The other great risk politicians need to balance is the factual reality that lockdowns only work with the agreement of the community. It is undeniably impossible to force people to stay in their homes as policing such a policy is unrealistic.

We are not out of the woods yet but developments in the vaccine space should give us confidence a solution is getting closer.