Premier reverses Liberal government decision to close Covid vaccination clinics

SA’s Omicron wave will be less severe than first projected as the Premier says vaccination clinics will stay open until at least June.

South Australia’s Omicron wave will be less severe than first projected with lower cases and hospital admissions, according to official updated modelling.

New SA Health projections presented to Premier Peter Malinauskas on Tuesday shows an average peak of 1500 fewer daily cases and at least 100 fewer hospital admissions.

The Adelaide University modelling predicts 5,500 cases each day and just over 200 hospital admissions.

A peak could hit more than 7000 but that is unlikely.

Previous modelling presented cabinet’s Emergency Management Council predicted an average 8000 daily cases that could have reached up to 9000 a day.

Chief public health officer, Professor Nicola Spurrier, said the latest model has “altered the assumptions of the impact of lifting restrictions on disease transmission”.

She said it was “still a little early to tell if we have reached the peak of the Omicron wave”.

“While it is difficult to predict human behaviour, this is a good indication that South Australians are continuing to do the right thing such as staying home if unwell and keeping up with Covid-safe behaviours while out in the community,” she said.

Premier Peter Malinauskas touring the Wayville mass vaccination hub with Central Adelaide Local Health Network Covid-19 commander Rachael Kay (l) and Wayville hub director Usha Ritchie (r) Picture: Andrew Hough

The rate of hospital admissions is also projected to be lower than first predicted with just over 200 patients at once compared to almost 300.

Prof Spurrier said it was “good news with less hospitalisation than first estimated”.

“It is possible this is due to the BA. 2 sub-variant being less severe than BA. 1,” she said.

“But we do not know that yet. People are also keeping out of hospital by getting treated with oral antivirals and we are using alternatives to hospital care for many people now.”

The modelling was released as the Premier announced Covid vaccination clinics set to close across SA will be kept open.

“Only in recent days was my government advised there were vaccination clinics set to close in the coming weeks,” Mr Malinauskas said.

“In Wayville, this vaccination clinic was set to close on May 31. It will now close on July 31st.”

A “stunned” Premier said extending the clinics would cost only about an extra $637,000.

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He said eight clinics were set to close this week, with all but two state-run clinics set to shut within weeks.

Playford and Noarlunga were to shut on May 29, but will now stay open until June 30, as well as regional clinics. Pop-up clinics will stay open until sometimes in June.

Mr Malinauskas was speaking after an urgent emergency management council on Tuesday, convened following a spike in the rate Covid hospitalisations.

On Monday, 209 Covid patients were in Adelaide hospitals after 21 more people were admitted in the previous 24 hours. That number dropped to 206 on Tuesday.

Records show this was the highest number since February 22.

SA recorded 5068 new cases as the rate of intensive-care patients rose slightly on Tuesday, with 11 in ICU. One of those is on a ventilator.

“Two hundred hospitalisations is a big number … we are under no illusion the size of the challenge being imposed on our hospital system is extraordinary,” Mr Malinauskas said.

Approximately 300,000 South Australians have not yet had a third dose, he said.

“We know if you choose not to be vaccinated you are at far greater risk of being hospitalised,” he said. “We don’t want to go back to a situation where South Australians have to go back to tougher restrictions.

Mr Malinauskas said the government was “limited to relieve restrictions” when people didn’t get vaccinations.

“That has an impact disproportionately to those people in insecure work,” he said.

It comes as Health Minister Chris Picton said he was “moving heaven and earth” to staff extra hospital beds ahead of the peak, which is expected to hit SA within days, according to modelling.

Latest modelling shows cases may just fall short of the predicted 8000 cases a day, Mr Malinauskas said.

Challenged on the fact that closing the vaccination clinics was an SA Health decision not the former state government’s decision, he said SA Health “answer to the cabinet of the day”.

He said SA needed long-term solutions to find more hospital beds – and people to staff them – and not chase “short-term solutions” such as “pinching a bed here and there”.

A $2m campaign to encourage Covid vaccinations will start shortly, he said, and fourth vaccines will roll out this week for people aged over 65 and the vulnerable.

Asked about a lost $4m in revenue as a result of union-led industrial action in the SA Ambulance Service, he said it was an “absolute disgrace” ambulance officers had not received a pay rise in the past four years.

Premier Peter Malinauskas. Picture: Keryn Stevens

The Advertiser reported the union-led a ban on collecting patients’ billing information – money that could have funded the base salaries of about 40 paramedics for a year or 28 new ambulances.

He said ambulance officers, nurses and other healthcare workers deserve an “adequate pay rise” especially after “working so hard through one of the state’s most difficult periods”.

Mr Malinauskas said he would likely make an announcement on parliament reopening on Thursday

According to the modelling, SA will record about 8000 cases before the peak plateaus about April 12, just before Easter.

Mr Picton said he was working to find 200 extra hospital beds ahead of the peak.

“We know it’s going to be very difficult to try and find those in a very short period of time but we’re doing everything we possibly can to do that,” Mr Picton told ABC Radio Adelaide on Tuesday.

“We’ve identified sort of close to that number of beds, the issue now is trying to staff them, trying to open them at short notice.

“We are moving heaven and earth at the moment to try and find the staffing to open additional beds because our hospital system is under significant pressure.”

Mr Picton tested positive to Covid-19 on Friday.

Update: Friday night I took a PCR which was positive.

I’ve got cold like symptoms, croaky voice, but generally doing ok.

There’s now more than 280,000 people in SA who have tested positive. Thank you to everyone for isolating, particularly people without regular incomes.

— Chris Picton MP (@PictonChris) April 4, 2022

SA Health reported 4595 cases on Monday, which was a rise of more than 500 in 24 hours.

Authorities say the latest data is within government modelling predictions.

Mr Picton said mask rules were still on the agenda to ease after the case peak in mid-April.

“I think we’ve said we want to have national consistency, but if there’s a reason not to do so (not to ease mask restrictions), then we’ll be very clear about that,” he said.

“Pressure in our hospital system will be an absolute key factor in South Australia.”