Coronavirus: Nation’s leading doctors plead for lockdown in video
The heads of top health bodies from across the country have rallied together, issuing an extraordinarily dire warning and pleading for a nationwide lockdown they say will save thousands of lives “before it is too late”.
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Some of the nation’s top doctors have warned they are “terrified” about the coronavirus pandemic and are pleading with Prime Minister Scott Morrison to enforce a nation-wide lock down before it is too late.
A video uploaded on Sunday night, not long after NSW and Victoria shut down non-essential businesses, shows some of the top medical professionals from across the country rallying together and urging the Federal Government that only more drastic action will save thousands of lives.
“I am terrified that the increasing number of cases are going to overwhelm our hospitals and we are going to make terrible triage decisions and we are not going to get the care we need,” Sydney neurologist Dr Kate Ahmad said.
Medical Journal of Australia editor, and University of Newcastle Professor, Nick Talley said he supported the current measures but asked that even more be done to suppress the transmission of COVID-19.
A clip of Western Australian AMA president Andrew Miller stressed the virus was already “out of control” and pleaded for the government to now lock down the entire country, while Associate Professor David Allen said: “I’ve been a doctor for 35 years and I’m scared”.
Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists chair Angelo Virgona warned front line medicos would be most at risk if no lock down was enforced.
“We are of the view that the nation needs to go into lock down as soon as soon as possible,” Dr Virgona said
“All non-essential services should be shut down now, we ask governments of all persuasions to act now.
“The spread of this virus is going to lead to a catastrophe for health workers who are on the front line and we need to protect them.”
The four-minute video comes with NSW at odds with the Federal Government over how to stop the spread of the potentially deadly disease.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian last night announced non-essential businesses would be forced to close until further notice and that schools would remain open but parents were advised not to send them unless they absolutely had to.
NSW Health on Monday morning confirmed 136 new cases of coronavirus had been diagnosed in the past 24 hours.
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