Even as outbreaks continue, Australia must start to look to life beyond Covid-19

With Sydney still in lockdown and a shock new case in Queensland, it may seem premature to talk about life beyond Covid-19. It is anything but.

As Queensland health authorities grapple with a new Covid-19 outbreak – this time a 17-year-old Brisbane school student – there’s something else we must be talking about: Optimism.

Optimism about the coming life after the pandemic when lockdowns are a thing of the past.

At first blush, with Sydney still facing weeks in lockdown, it might seem a slightly premature conversation.

It is anything but.

While officials manage outbreaks, Australia must also simultaneously build momentum towards the other side of Covid-19. A life which doesn’t involve fear over new cases and the constant uncertainty over changing restrictions is not a mirage and it can’t be some distant goal.

It is an absolute necessity Australia navigates out of the pandemic and towards the openness and positive interactions that are central to a functioning society and a buoyant economy.

To be in a health position where Covid-19 is treated like other illnesses such as the flu is the unambiguous goal and the greatest determinant of how quickly we recover and learn to live with the coronavirus is vaccination.

The rollout of the vaccination program has neither been as smooth or quick as it should have been.

A sign outside a community Covid-19 vaccination centre in Capalaba, in Brisbane's east. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

The advice around AstraZeneca – a vaccine credited with saving the United Kingdom – has created confusion and unfortunately contributed to vaccine hesitancy.

But as we’ve seen in Sydney, where residents are enduring the longest lockdown this year, young people under 40 are accepting that rolling up their sleeves for AstraZeneca far outweighs the risks associated with suffering from Covid, and in particular the insidious Delta variant. They are accepting that the scientific experts are right.

As the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation said last week: “In a large outbreak, the benefits of the Covid-19 vaccine AstraZeneca are greater than the risk of rare side effects for all age groups.”

People are also being advised to get whatever vaccine is available to them.

While those over age 60 will still be given priority for AstraZeneca vaccine, younger Australians can now request the shot from their doctor.

Two doses of either vaccine are required, but even a single dose boosts protection against hospitalisation by more than 70 per cent.

But it’s not just about avoiding a stint in hospital – it’s about not being exposed to illness in the first place, and not exposing others, including older parents and others with medical conditions that make them especially vulnerable to Covid.

Chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young warned all Queenslanders that almost inevitably we will see a rise in the number of cases in coming months, amid yesterday’s news that a Brisbane schoolgirl tested positive for Covid-19.

“Our toughest test is almost certainly still in front of us,” Dr Young said.

Pleading with Queenslanders to wear masks, she said they were “one of our most effective weapons”.

The other, and most critical, is vaccination and Dr Young stressed that plenty of AstraZeneca is available and she urged over 60s to get the shot.

Dr Young may be right when she says our toughest test is ahead due to the infectiousness of the Delta strain. However this is not a stationary test, rather one in which Australia must race towards getting the population vaccinated and offer incentives for people to get the jab.

People should also not be shy about encouraging any vaccine hesitant relatives to get the jab.

Many parts of the world are starting to open up as people are vaccinated and thereby able to move on to the next stage of life.

Remaining an island is simply not an option for Australia.

For much of the pandemic the slogan around restrictions has been “we’re all this together”.

It’s now time to make that our motto on vaccination, not just lockdowns.

Two million Pfizer doses are due to arrive every week from October meaning over coming months almost all Aussies will have the chance to have the jab.

The sooner people take the opportunity to be vaccinated, the sooner we can recharge our ailing economy and usher in life without unabated restrictions.

Australia needs an exit strategy and vaccination is at its essence.

Remember, we’re all in this together.