NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard warns Omicron subvariant could cause case spike

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard has issued a grave warning about a new variant of Covid-19, amid calls to reintroduce measures in the state.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard has delivered a grim warning about the new subvariant of Omicron, amid growing calls for his state to reintroduce certain Covid-19 measures.

Mr Hazzard appeared on the Today show this morning to talk about the renewed threat of Covid-19, telling hosts Karl Stefanovic and Ally Langdon that “the pandemic has not gone away”.

“I’m here to talk about Covid. I want to talk about Covid,” the Health Minister said, before launching into a rundown of his state’s current virus situation.

Since the middle of last week, NSW has reported more new Covid-19 cases than it has seen in more than a month combined – a result of key restrictions being eased at the beginning of March, and underpinned by the new BA. 2 Omicron subvariant.

The state recorded another 8911 cases in the 24 hours up to 8pm on Sunday night.

Mr Hazzard previously told budget estimates on Thursday that preliminary data from UNSW modelling showed new Covid-19 cases could double within a few weeks, and it was a warning he echoed on Today.

“We are having forecasts [that] we could see double the number of Covid cases in the next four to six weeks,” he said.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard. Picture: Today

Today host Karl Stefanovic. Picture: Today/Channel 9

“We are still seeing people die from what is actually happening in Australia. We are seeing numbers increase, obviously in Western Australia as well, quite dramatically, and the forecast is it may actually increase here.”

The Health Minister called on the two million eligible NSW residents who haven’t had their booster yet to come forward and get it, saying “there is still confusion there in the community” regarding the third vaccine dose.

“If you’ve had the virus, four to six weeks after that you should go and have your Covid booster. If you’ve had two doses already you still need to have a booster, and that should be around three months afterwards,” Mr Hazzard said.

“There’s lots of opportunities – your pharmacist, your doctor, of course the state health services still have major vaccination hubs all across the state. So please, go and do it. If you have immunocompromised aspects, in other words you have cancer, you must get the booster.”

COVID-19 update – Monday 14 March 2022

In the 24-hour reporting period to 4pm yesterday:

- 95.9% of people aged 16+ have had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine
- 94.4% of people aged 16+ have had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine pic.twitter.com/DEmMwzLl6i

— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) March 13, 2022

Asked by Langdon whether the state could likely see the return of restrictions – which NSW Health has reportedly called for – Mr Hazzard said that “basic measures” like mask wearing “are still very important”, but didn’t confirm whether measures could be reinstated.

“This is a timely reminder that the community, all of us, have a responsibility to make decisions for our own environment as to what we think is appropriate,” he said.

“Certainly [chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant] and the health team here in NSW have said many, many times, I have said, when you’re in close proximity with others it still makes sense to wear a mask … Wash your hands, don’t come to work if you’ve got any symptoms at all.”

While the Health Minister acknowledged the devastation in flood-affected places like Lismore and Sydney’s west, he warned that “the pandemic has not gone away”.

“We need to remember that we are still in the middle of a pandemic and it’s a one-in-100-year pandemic with potentially grave consequences if you get it,” Mr Hazzard said.

“We’ve gone from BA. 1, a variant of Covid, to BA 2,” he said.

“BA. 2 is taking over from BA.1. And the advice is it’s much more transmissible. It’s not necessarily more dangerous, but it is more transmissible.

“So we are expecting that more people may get it. Of course that means, potentially, that means more people in hospital and more people potentially in ICU and possibly dying … We still need to listen to researchers and be cautious.”

There are calls from NSW Health to reintroduce mandatory mask rules at indoor venues. Picture: Jason McCawley/Getty Images

Elsewhere during the interview, Mr Hazzard clashed with clashed with Karl Stefanovic live on air, as tensions rise between the State and Federal Government over the handling of the NSW flood crisis.

While the Health Minister stated he was there to talk about the virus, he was immediately pressed by Stefanovic about “finger pointing” over the response to the flood, which has devastated communities, particularly in northern NSW.

“I think that’s the sort of commentary you’d expect sometimes from some people in the community, particularly the media actually. I think when there’s a major crisis you’ve got to expect that people are going to be working flat chat and working as well as you can, which is effectively a war … I’m going to stay out of that one and talk about Covid,” Mr Hazzard said.

The Today host, however, didn’t accept the Health Minister’s answer, telling him: “Unlike yourself, the Commissioner of the SES was prepared to accept responsibility before. She says the buck stops with her and it’s ultimately NSW who have got to react to this stuff, and your Government toss blame?”

“Karl, as I said, I was asked to do an interview on Covid. I will talk about Covid. I have given you more views on that, let’s move to Covid,” Mr Hazzard replied.

“You can’t bounce onto something else. This is your Government. You’re a senior minister in the Government. You can’t answer questions about people being left in their homes, about not getting the right emergency, the level of co-ordination between the State and Federal Governments dropping the ball? You can’t answer questions like that?” Stefanovic said.

Mr Hazzard again put his foot down, telling Stefanovic that he “answered” his questions and: “Trying to cast blame is not actually helpful.”

Originally published as NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard warns Omicron subvariant could cause case spike