Just to provide a glimmer of slightly more positive news.
The secret CHO health advice has been published.
Benefits of COVID-19 booster shots in WA would start to wane after March: Chief Health Officer
Important points:
- WA could reach 75 per cent booster coverage by March 2.
- Beyond that date, the waning of protection from boosters is anticipated to offset this gain, particularly among the elderly and healthcare workers who were boosted early, and decisions on future [opening] dates would require further modelling
- “Any decision on opening dates should consider the potential for twin outbreaks if the peak or post-peak period is expected to fall in the winter influenza season.”
Reading that WA Health have openly admitted that opening up much later beyond early March could cause significant problems. So maybe, just maybe, there's a hope it may only be a delay of 4 weeks. Or enough that the peak doesn't hit the same time as the flu and other viruses, so potentially no later than April.
And I think what stuffed McGowan yesterday was not so much the delay but the new lack of a plan and subsequent date. Even the AMA that had previously been calling for a 4 week delay have come out very strongly against this indefinite plan:
AMA WA president Mark Duncan-Smith calls for urgent border reopen date to be announced
So there's three previous Pro McGowan or strong borders groups, the WA AMA, the Chamber of Minerals and Energy and the West Australian, that have really savaged McG over yesterday's announcement and the lack of a definite date.