The New South Wales health director says a new wave of COVID-19 has hit the state that has been caused by the latest variants of Omicron.
Dr. Kerry Chant said the number of cases and hospitalizations are expected to peak in late July and early August.
“We anticipate that hospitalizations will be similar to BA.1 in January,” he said.
COVID-19 cases are on the rise again in NSW due to the latest Omicron variants. (Louise Kennerley, 9News)
“There are a lot of other viruses like the flu and RSV. That’s a difference from what happened in January.”
Chant said she is “concerned about this image.”
Renewed call for NSW residents to be vaccinated
Chant and state Health Minister Brad Hazzard have urged NSW residents to get vaccinated and take more precautions against the virus as the number of cases increases again.
“BA.4 and BA.5 are increasing in the proportion of people suffering from COVID-19,” Hazzard said.
“There is no playbook when you are in a pandemic. We are learning as we move forward. What we know now is to be fully vaccinated, no matter how many vaccines you are eligible to receive, it makes a difference.”
“These annoying little variants are pretty smart and work to some extent with current vaccines.
“What we do know is that if we are fully vaccinated, we are much less likely to get sick and much less likely to die.”
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard called anyone who did not have a third dose crazy. (new)
Hazzard added that while vaccines do not stop transmission, they do prevent serious illness or death.
“If you haven’t had your three (doses), to put it bluntly, you’re crazy (and) you should go get them,” he said.
There are no more restrictions as the number of cases increases
NSW authorities will not introduce any additional restrictions to combat the increase in the number of cases, but have urged residents to wear masks more often and wash their hands.
Currently, the only current restriction in the state is the mandatory use of masks on public transportation.
As many Sydney residents will recognize, not many travelers no longer wear masks on trains or buses despite the mandate.
Hazzard was asked if the government would have more police to enforce the use of masks on trains. He said no.
NSW residents are asked to mask themselves more often. (Getty)
“It is mandatory to wear masks on public transport, the police have done an extraordinary job during the pandemic,” he said.
“The message we are focusing on today is that each of us must take responsibility if traveling on public transportation complies with the law.”
The Health Minister says eligibility for the fourth dose should be expanded
Hazzard said if there is no problem with the supply of the vaccine, eligibility for a fourth dose of the vaccine should be expanded.
“Every extra dose helps, so if we can get a fourth dose, let’s do it,” he said.
“I would like the rules to be changed as soon as possible to allow a fourth dose for a much larger age group.”
It comes when the Therapeutic Goods Administration considers a request from Moderna for a new booster injection aimed at variant B.4 Omicron.
U.S. regulators have already agreed to launch specific variant reinforcement later this year.
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