WA past COVID-19 peak but mask and vaccine mandates must stay, Chief Health Officer says
Western Australia’s Chief Health Officer Andy Robertson has officially declared the state is past its peak in COVID-19 cases.
Key points:
– Daily WA case numbers are expected to stay high but trend downwards
– Hospitality venues say newly eased restrictions have come as a huge relief
– The CHO says scrapping masks now could have a devastating impact
That arrived on March 29, when 9,754 cases were recorded.
Despite daily cases rising to 8,144 yesterday, the Chief Health Officer (CHO) said they were slowly declining on average.
It is expected cases will remain relatively high but will continue on a downward trend.
It was this fact and the state’s low levels of COVID-related hospitalisations and deaths which prompted Dr Robertson to recommend [yesterday’s easing of restrictions in WA](/news/2022-04-14/wa-covid-restrictions-and-close-contact-ruels-explained/100989846) .
The most notable change was WA’s adoption of the national definition of a close contact.
Now, someone is only required to isolate if they test positive for COVID-19, are the intimate partner of an infected person or live with an infected person.
Someone is also considered a close contact if they spend more than 4 hours with an infected person in a house “or household-like setting” without wearing a mask.
In his written advice to the Premier, Dr Robertson said the move may lead to a “manageable increase in COVID cases as people are infected in non-household and social settings”.
“On a background of decreasing cases generally, this is expected to have only a marginal impact, particularly in the context of ongoing Public Health and Social Measures (PHSMs),” he said.
Premier Mark McGowan said the easing of restrictions had been made possible because the state’s management of COVID-19 had worked.
He said in addition to positive health outcomes, the economy was also faring well, with the state recording its lowest unemployment rate in 14 years at 3.4 per cent.
Work, school and socialising made easier
The new close contact definition has come as a relief to employers, parents and educators because there is no longer the risk of someone being required to isolate due to contact with an infected person at work or in the classroom.
It has also come in time for the Easter long weekend, giving more confidence to West Australians as thousands travel the state and gather with family and friends.
Such gatherings have been made easier by the removal of capacity limits in the home.
Larger hospitality venues have also enjoyed an uptick in business following the scrapping of the 500-person capacity limit.
David Heaton, the owner of a number of bars and nightclubs in Perth, said it had come as a “huge relief” for his businesses and staff.
“It makes a big difference, people are more inclined to come out,” he said.
“And it makes it commercially viable for us to open the doors.”
But Mr Heaton said larger venues were still suffering the impacts of the 2-square-metre rule, which he said had effectively halved the capacity of some of his establishments.
He said the ongoing indoor mask mandate was also putting a dent in patronage.
“Obviously, the mask mandate puts a lot of people off coming out,” he said.
“Our bookings haven’t been anywhere near what they were at this time last year.”
Too soon to ditch masks and proof of vaccination: CHO
Dr Robertson said keeping the indoor mask mandate was something that would mitigate the impact of any COVID-19 cases missed under the eased close contact definitions.
He said the caseload in WA was still too high, and doing away with masks at this point could have a devastating impact.
“We may see quite a kick-up of cases in all populations, including in our vulnerable populations, and we may also see an increase in hospitalisations and people who end up in ICU,” he told ABC Radio Perth.
The CHO said mask-wearing and other restrictions would be reconsidered once cases dropped further, but said there was no specific trigger point in place.
“There is no specific figure.It’s more around a sustained decline in numbers, both in active numbers but also in regional and other numbers as well,” he said.
Dr Robertson also confirmed it was too early to lift vaccine mandates, with the unvaccinated few massively over-represented among hospital cases.
Of the 89 people to die in WA with COVID-19, more than a third have not had two doses of a vaccine.
That is despite the unvaccinated representing about 1 per cent of WA’s eligible population.
Children’s vaccinations remain sluggish
WA’s Vaccine Commander Gary Dreibergs said the key focus for vaccinations in WA was now on getting children immunised.
He said the state was faring similarly to the rest of the nation, with a sluggish rate of vaccination among five-to-11-year-olds.
About 58 per cent of that cohort are vaccinated in WA at present.
“Sadly, a number of our presentations to hospital are from that age group,” Deputy Commissioner Dreibergs said.
“We want them to get vaccinated, they’ve only been eligible for a while, but it’s really time for them to get it done.”
The Vaccine Commander said the state’s vaccination rate among children was growing at about 0.5 per cent a day, but he would like to see it rising 2 to 3 per cent each day.
The vaccination clinic at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre has capacity to vaccinate 2,000 children each day, but yesterday had only 150 bookings.
“We like to think a lot of it is about opportunity.Kids have been back at school, it’s hard to get down to vaccination clinics when you’re already busy,” Deputy Commissioner Dreibergs said.
“But there’s also a fair bit of hesitancy.Young kids are intimidated by getting needles and vaccinations.”
He said school holidays were the perfect opportunity for parents to accompany children to get vaccinated, and many clinics were putting on children’s entertainment as well.
While testing clinics in WA remain open on Good Friday, vaccination clinics will be closed for the day..