Opinion: Qld needs three attributes to cope with Omicron
Just when we thought life might be entering a new normal and the state would finally be opening up, we get hit with another curveball, writes Kylie Lang.
Kylie Lang
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Patience, resilience, vigilance. These are three things, Queensland, we’re going to need in unlimited quantities as Covid-19 continues to throw curveballs.
Just when we thought life might be entering a new normal and the state would finally be opening up as vaccination percentages rose, we now get hit with Omicron.
When will this chaos end?
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called an emergency National Cabinet meeting as Australia’s chief health officer warns the new variant could see changes in the severity and transmission of the virus.
Will Omicron be resistant to existing vaccines?
Will it lead to our borders staying shut and other states and territories slamming theirs closed?
Will holiday plans and long-awaited family reunions be scuppered yet again?
These and so many other questions need answers and it’s fair to say, most of us are already exhausted by this pandemic.
We’ve had a few wins along the way but they’ve invariably been followed by more hardship, restrictions and anxiety.
At one point Queensland was in an enviable position, recording no cases of the virus and patting ourselves on the back, only to have Delta leak from the mess that is hotel quarantine in early 2021.
Politicians have pushed us to get vaccinated, mandating double doses and denying the unvaxxed access to pubs, restaurants, the footy, galleries and other venues from December 17 when Queensland is due to open up.
But now experts are saying that even higher immunisation rates might not be able to deal with Omicron the way we dealt with Delta.
This in no way should discourage the unvaccinated from rolling up their sleeves because we still have the other variants to tackle, but it just shows how unpredictable this pandemic is.
Tourism magnate Graham “Skroo” Turner is understandably pushing the line of learning to live with whatever variant emerges.
The Flight Centre boss wants more of us up and in the air and travelling.
We want that too, but we first need to understand what we are facing with Omicron.
Now is not the time to panic but to work on topping up our reserves of patience, resilience and vigilance. We’re going to need them.
Kylie Lang is associate editor of The Courier-Mail
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