As Newcastle slowly starts to reopen after lockdown, health experts are urging the community to stay vigilant, socially distance and continue to follow COVID-safe rules.
Hunter New England Health COVID-19 medical controller Dr Paul Craven said it was “unbelievably good” to see so many people vaccinated.
He said the more people vaccinated, the less pressure there was on the healthcare system.
“Last year, we had general fear because we had never seen anything like it before, and people were really scared, but now our staff are vaccinated and fit tested for protective masks and are all properly trained to care for patients with COVID-19,” Dr Craven said.
“It’s a totally different feel from last year. Vaccines have made the most significant impact out of anything. We are seeing way fewer people on ventilators.
“The majority of the people coming into hospital are unvaccinated.”
Dr Craven said 65 per cent of people who had presented to Hunter New England Health hospitals with COVID-19 were unvaccinated, 25 per cent had only one dose, and 15 per cent were double-vaccinated.
“The vaccine is working amazingly. It is keeping most people out of the hospital. But there are still people in our community who are chronically ill with other conditions, which makes them vulnerable to COVID-19,” he said.
Dr Craven said the region’s vaccine rates had nearly hit 80 per cent double dose and 92 per cent single dose, however, the Hunter region was still contributing to almost a quarter of the state’s daily COVID-19 cases.
“I think it would be fair to say the Hunter region still has large numbers of people who are testing positive for COVID-19, so always assume that anyone around you could have it,” he said.
“Now that we are vaccinated and are starting to move around more, we must return to those very simple messages: wear your mask, keep your distance, and if you get sick, please get tested.
“I can’t stress that enough.”
Dr Craven said there was a considerable decrease in testing across the region.
“I think after 20 months, people are fatigued, and it’s really not the time to get fatigued,” he said.
“We want to know who’s infected so they can isolate away from the rest of the community.
“You might be young, fit and vaccinated, and COVID-19 might feel like a common cold, but that common cold to you is a severe disease for the community’s vulnerable.
“We need to stay vigilant and responsible, so we can keep our whole community safe.”
The NSW Government’s easing of COVID restrictions may mean a nervous wait for the health sector to see what infection numbers do in the weeks ahead but the freedom measures have brought relief to many local businesses.
Chiefly East Sandwiches owner Ali Downer said he was excited to get back to regular business after navigating the complexities of lockdown rules.
“We were put in an unusual position last lockdown in that we were forced to survive,” he said.
“We were trying to keep up with government guidance, but the general information had to be sought after. The government regulations were foggy, to say the least.
“We went into battle mode and got on with making ourselves accessible to customers, meaning we grew the business in ways we might never have got around to otherwise.”
Downer said they moved to online orders and a takeaway window to reduce the number of people gathering outside.
“It pushed us to get more creative with what we could offer and make for our customers, as we wanted to keep things exciting in the food department,” he said.
“In turn, it made us realise what we were good at, and we simplified our offering, making us way more streamlined.”
Since restrictions started to ease, Downer said they continued to use their takeaway window and offered an additional outdoor seating area for the fully vaccinated.
He said they hadn’t faced any issues with the public, and everyone was following the COVID-19 guidelines.
“We still offer a takeaway and online service, so I don’t think it affects us too badly,” he said.
“I think the Newy community is pretty passionate about getting back to business.
“Our customer base is very loyal, and I believe most people wanted to get vaccinated to keep our community safe.”
Meanwhile, Australians will be offered a vaccine booster shot six months after receiving their second dose.
The advice comes after final approval from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisations (ATAGI).
ATAGI already recommended that severely immunocompromised people receive a third dose, but Health Minister Greg Hunt has announced booster shots would be rolled out to the rest of the adult community as well.
Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said two doses of the COVID-19 vaccination was the primary course of protection, and people who had received two doses were considered fully vaccinated.
“This is a boost,” he said.
“It’s important for those who are at that six-month mark (after receiving both doses) to consider their booster.
“It definitely gives extra protection against severe disease, particularly for older Australians and those who are in that vulnerable group.
“Those vulnerable people should come forward, healthcare workers should come forward, or anyone who has hit that six-month mark can come forward and get a boost.”
The booster program will officially start on November 8, but Minister Hunt said some aged or disability care residents could start receiving them now.
Hayley McMahon
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