Latest live news: Experts warn of “irreversible” consequences of reopening plan

Australia’s Disabled Children and Youth’s (CYDA) advocacy group CEO Mary Sayers has warned that while Australia’s most vulnerable are not vaccinated once we reach our national targets of 70 and 80 percent, “we pass on a death their sentence.”

Only 51 percent of residents with disabilities have been vaccinated in Australia – although residents and workers in the sector are among the priority recipients of the national rollout.

Appearing on The project Tonight, Ms Sayer said that in the US and UK, more than half of deaths from Covid-19 have occurred in people with disabilities and therefore need to be fully vaccinated before the opening of the country.

“When we talk about openness, we have to think about who in the community has not yet been vaccinated,” she said.

“We know it’s not just about people with disabilities, it’s also about our First Nations community and we also know that many aboriginal people are also disabled.

“So we can’t start these conversations about openness. Yes, we’re all sick of the blockages, myself included, and many families who care for children, home schooling, but those who are. most at risk of Covid are not fully vaccinated, we are really giving them a death sentence. ”

Queensland has confirmed that its hard border with New South Wales is expected to remain in place at least until the end of October.

The ABC reports that the state’s chief medical officer, Dr Jeanette Young, hopes the restrictions will remain “for no more than 10 weeks.”

“This is based on the time frame within which we expect 70% of Queenslanders to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19,” a spokesperson for the health department told the national broadcaster.

Under current rules, only specific essential workers are allowed to enter the Sunshine State from NSW, and they must have proof of at least one Covid-19 jab.

New South Wales border commissioner James McTavish told the ABC the Sunshine State has yet to say when the hard border will end, despite daily meetings.

“We were not told of a 10 week deadline for these border restrictions, or a 70 week vaccination requirement,” he said, calling Queensland’s response “heavy”.

“We have strongly indicated to the Queensland government that we would like to see an arrangement restored for border communities – not just for Tweed, but also beyond.

“There is obviously significant concern about the spread of Covid in NSW, ACT and Victoria.”

In a joint declaration, a team of experts warned that the consequences of reducing Covid-19 restrictions in Australia once 80% of the eligible population is vaccinated “would likely be irreversible.”

Professor Quentin Grafton from the Australian National University, Dr Zoe Hyde from the University of Western Australia and Professor Tom Kompas from the University of Melbourne reviewed the Morrison government’s national pandemic exit plan – based on the modeling from the Doherty Institute.

As part of this plan, once more than 80% of Australians over the age of 16 are fully vaccinated, we will begin to ‘manage Covid-19 in line with public health management of other infectious diseases’ (c that is, as we would with the flu).

But in their statement, the team opposed the reopening until we were at 90%, saying the current plan to ease restrictions would put too many lives at risk and could hamper thousands more. Australians with an ongoing disease.

“We just can’t afford to do that, both in terms of lives and long-term illness from Covid,” said Professor Grafton, said the team’s own modeling.

“We have found that substantial morbidity and mortality are likely to occur if the Australian government sticks to the national plan.

“Our modeling shows that if 70% of Australians over 16 are fully vaccinated, with an immunization level of 95% for those aged 60 and over, there could potentially be some 6.9 million cases. symptomatic of Covid-19, 154,000 hospitalizations, and 29,000 deaths. ”

Dr Hyde said “the consequences of a premature and complete relaxation of public health measures to suppress Covid-19, even after vaccinating 80% of adults, would likely be irreversible and unacceptable to many Australians.”

During Question Time, Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt also revealed that more than half of elderly healthcare workers (a priority group in the country’s deployment, but nonetheless) are now fully vaccinated.

“71.2 percent of residential senior care workers have received an initial vaccination,” Mr. Hunt said.

“In total, more than 196,000 vaccinations have taken place.

“On top of that, 49.3% of people received a second vaccination, or 136,000.”

Supply issues and confusion over where to get vaccinated have contributed to slow adoption in the industry, Mr Hunt said.

The National Cabinet has also agreed to make the jab mandatory for people working in the industry to have at least one dose by the middle of next month (so we’re almost there on that front at least).

Scott Morrison has lashed out at Labor for seeking to undermine the national immunization plan amid a tense back-and-forth during Question Time.

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese reminded the Prime Minister of his mistakes in deploying vaccines.

Isn’t the reason why vaccination rates are not higher because the Prime Minister did not order enough vaccines when it counted and also did not implement national quarantine? asked Mr. Albanese.

“It is so important that people stand up for the plan rather than obstruct the plan, Mr President, as those in the Labor Party seem determined to do,” Mr Morrison replied.

The bickering continued before the prime minister attacked the opposition leader.

“Anyone who thinks that the prime minister of this country has only two jobs is not up to the task,” he replied.

“I can say this because those of us who have faced one of the most serious situations we have faced during our tenure in government is to call for the evacuation of what has been nearly 1,700 people outside of Kabul at the moment.