Dr John Gerrard says Queenslanders have role to play in new Covid strategy

Queensland’s remarkable strategy against Covid-19 is moving into a new phase and new chief health officer Dr John Gerrard says we all have a part to play.

Almost two years after I treated Queensland’s first Covid-19 ­patient in the Gold Coast University Hospital, I begin today as chief health officer.

It is a critical time to be taking on this responsibility but it’s important to reflect on the extraordinary amount of work that has delivered us to this point and provided us a clear way forward.

An ambitious staged strategy was devised in January 2020 to save lives, while preserving our way of life.

Evidence-based decision-making has kept Covid-19 at bay until a vaccine was developed and delivered to Queenslanders wherever they were across the state.

For two years, Queensland has kept Covid-19 out of the community, while preserving social freedoms that are the envy of the world. We have avoided the long lockdowns we’ve seen across the globe and our children have had mostly uninterrupted schooling.

If Queensland was the UK adjusted for our population, 12,500 Queenslanders would have lost their lives to Covid-19 and 60 healthcare workers would have died from Covid in the course of their work.

New Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard. Picture: Liam Kidston

Seven Queenslanders have lost their lives to Covid since the pandemic began. On any measure, this is an outstanding achievement for all of Queensland.

We’ve now reached the day we have long planned for.

There will be cases across Queensland. We can expect “spot fire” outbreaks around the state in the coming weeks and months before a surge.

It is time to accept that Covid-19 is here to stay, and you will most likely know someone who contracts Covid-19 in the months ahead.

But we have bought ourselves time to be as ready as we can be, and thanks to the high vaccination rates, we could not be in a better position.

You may be feeling apprehensive and uncertain about what is coming.

This is understandable.

The health system may be challenged but it is what we have planned for. Thanks to the vaccines that both reduce the severity of the disease and slow its ability to spread, we’ll be able to manage most Covid-19 cases at home.

The No. 1 priority for every Queenslander in keeping our communities safe and our health system strong is to get vaccinated, get your booster shots on time, and from January 10, get your 5-11-year-old children ­vaccinated.

You can also help by practising social distancing, washing your hands, always using the check-in app, carrying a mask and using it when you can’t social distance, and staying home and getting tested if sick.

Do this for yourself and your family, and for health-workers and their families, who will put themselves in harm’s way to care for those who need our care.

I’ve cared for people with infectious diseases for the past 30 years. I’ve trained my whole life for this job and I take this responsibility very seriously.

But while I may be the chief health officer, now, more than ever, the most important and influential person in public health is you.

By taking all the steps possible to prepare for Covid-19, you are helping to determine our future.