Top doc and Dom clash over Covid rule: ‘Strongly recommending’ it

NSW’s top doctor and Dominic Perrottet appeared to disagree on one Covid rule as the state eased restrictions amid skyrocketing cases.

NSW’s top doctor and the Premier appeared to be at odds over some of the newest coronavirus health advice after restrictions were eased on Wednesday.

Premier Dominic Perrottet stood by his decision to scrap more rules as planned as the state reported 1360 new Covid-19 infections – the highest daily number of cases since September.

There are now 110 cases of the Omicron variant confirmed in the state, with authorities expecting more to come.

Mr Perrottet urged people to “take personal responsibility” to avoid becoming infected with the virus and having to isolate at Christmas.

From Wednesday, the unvaccinated can enjoy most of the same freedoms as the fully immunised, though it is up to businesses if they want to continue to enforce a vaccine policy.

Masks are also no longer mandatory in most places in NSW, but chief health officer Kerry Chant encouraged people to keep wearing them indoors.

“I’m providing the public health advice, which is that masks are an effective mitigant whether it’s Omicron Delta or the next variant,” Dr Chant told reporters.

When pressed on why the state was getting rid of mask mandates, Dr Chant said that was a matter for the government.

NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant ‘strongly’ recommends wearing a face mask. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Flavio Brancaleone

“All I’m saying is, from a public health position, I’m strongly recommending we keep masks and asking the community to do so.”

Masks became a flashpoint in NSW a few weeks ago after it was reported that health officials wanted them to remain mandatory in retail settings during the festive season.

A meeting of the Covid-19 recovery committee was convened in response, and it was announced the mandates wouldn’t be extended beyond December 15 after backlash from the public.

Dr Chant on Wednesday asked people to gather in lower-risk places and to get their booster shots if they are eligible.

Mr Perrottet urged people to focus on hospitalisation and intensive care numbers, which remain low, rather than daily cases, which are increasingly significantly.

There were 166 people in hospital with Covid-19 on Wednesday, with 24 in ICU.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has stood by his government’s road map. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Flavio Brancaleone

“I know media want to focus on case numbers – please also focus on ICU numbers,” Mr Perrottet told reporters.

“We trust our health system in NSW and the great people of NSW, the record testing, the record vaccination rate and now the boosters.”

But Dr Chant said “it is also a numbers’ game” because higher cases would eventually lead to infections in vulnerable people with the potential for increased hospitalisations.

“We need to understand what (Omicron) looks like in elderly people, what it looks like in people that have underlying health conditions to actually inform what are the best strategies we can put in place to protect them,” she said.

Dr Chant said it was too early to say whether the Omicron Covid-19 strain led to a milder illness, but this information should emerge over the next two weeks.

She said it was likely NSW’s soaring case numbers were the result of the Omicron variant, particularly in the Newcastle area.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard says cases could reach 25,000 per day based on some modelling. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Flavio Brancaleone

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard told the same press conference that Covid-19 cases were doubling every few days.

He said modelling from the University of NSW showed the state could have 25,000 infections per day in January.

“We may not get to 25,000 new cases every day, but we could,” he said.

“And so a precautionary principle to me, as the Health Minister, (is to) do all the things that keep us safe.

“Stay outside if you can, wear those masks, get tested if you’ve got any viral symptoms at all.”

Originally published as Top doc and Dom clash over Covid rule: ‘Strongly recommending’ it