Gold Coast approaching endemic Covid-19 status as doctors warn of complacency
Doctors have warned against “complacency” as the city seems set to face more deadly waves of Covid-19.
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Doctors have warned against “complacency” after it was revealed one in six Gold Coasters were living with Covid-19 unknowingly.
A Bulletin report yesterday revealed the city faces a second wave of Covid-19 in the winter, as well as ongoing outbreaks in coming months.
Household surveying shows many people were not aware that they had been infectious, and confirms the Omicron wave has moved past the peak towards endemic status on the Coast.
But city health authorities say endemic status may not mean anything when it comes to frontline efforts to contain the virus.
Robina GP and Gold Coast Private Health Network board director Dr Lisa Beecham said: “I would not think much of it. (There’s) a shift at the moment.
“Do still immunise, get boosters, wash hands, sanitise and socially distance.”
No new public safety restrictions or change in rules for unvaccinated people have been announced because of the change.
AMA Queensland Vice President Dr Bav Manoharan told the Bulletin the study “highlights how contagious this virus is”.
“It’s also a worrying sign of complacency that 20 per cent of people who had tested positive had symptoms but hadn’t sought testing prior,” he said.
“We need a commonsense approach.
“We need to start thinking about how we live with Covid-19 while keeping vulnerable people safe, making sure resources are allocated appropriately, including (protective equipment) and RATs.
“We know there will be more variants and more outbreaks, particularly with schools returning next week and the overseas border slowly opening up.
“Only about a third (36%) of our children aged 5-11 have received one dose of the vaccine, which really does raise concern for the outbreaks to spread from schools to homes once children return to schools.
“Our doctors and nurses are already overworked and exhausted and while it appears that this wave is at the down slope of the peak, we are going to start running into the flu season in a few weeks and possibly another wave of Covid-19 in the winter months.”
Coast warned of second wave
February 3: Queensland’s chief health officer has warned that the Gold Coast faces a second wave of Covid-19 in the winter.
Dr John Gerrard’s comments came after a new study showed as many as one in six Gold Coasters were living with the disease around the peak of the Omicron wave.
“What this suggests is that somewhere between five and ten times the number of people that we’re identifying through Covid testing were actually positive here on the Gold Coast in the last few weeks,” he said.
Dr Gerrard said the results of the study, which was conducted by testing people at homes randomly selected across the Gold Coast, suggested the number of cases officially recorded were “grossly underestimated”.
“We’ve always known that what we’re actually recording and reporting grossly underestimates the number of true positives but this survey suggests it’s between five and ten times that number.
“Quite a number of people have mild symptoms or don’t recognise that they have Covid-19, but presumably are still capable of spreading the virus. Hence it’s so critical that everyone continues to wear masks, because you might not know that you’re carrying Covid-19.
“You may have no symptoms or very mild symptoms, yet you’re still capable of transmitting the virus.
“The public health measures are absolutely critical.”
Dr Gerrard said health authorities were planning for the “significant chance” that a second Covid wave would wash over the city in winter time.
“We’re heading into winter and the general feeling is there’s a significant chance that we will encounter some sort of second wave when we head into the winter,” he said.
“We believe this current wave will end some time in the next few weeks, with some sort of tail.
“The general belief, and our planning, is that there will be some sort of second wave in the winter time.”
Earlier: One in six Gold Coasters were living with Covid-19 around the peak of the pandemic wave a new study reveals.
Household surveying shows many people were not aware that they had been infectious, and confirms the Omicron wave has moved past the peak on the Coast.
It also suggests the Coast has moved into the endemic phase of the virus.
The number of residents who tested positive was also much higher than anticipated.
The Gold Coast Public Health Unit, helped by medical and nursing students, went door-to-
door on January 22 to 117 households across Coast suburbs collecting PCR tests.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the surveillance initiative, believed to be the first of its
kind in Australia, had delivered higher than expected results.
Ms Palaszczuk also revealed 8643 new Covid-19 cases and nine deaths during a press conference at Coomera State Special School at Coomera and said 749 people were in hospital and 47 were in intensive care units (ICU).
Results from 117 households indicated that:
* Twenty of 117 randomly selected people tested positive for COVID-19 (about 1 in 6)
* Only four of the 20 who tested positive reported having any symptoms (4 in 5 did not
have symptoms)
* Only two of the 20 who tested positive were already aware they were positive (1 in
10)
“Initial results indicate COVID-19 is considerably more common in the community than
reported and that many people who are infectious may not be aware,” the Premier said.
“This particularly true for fully vaccinated and boosted Queenslanders, who are benefiting
from the protective effects of the vaccine.
“Today’s survey shows just how important it is for all Gold Coasters to get vaccinated,” the
Premier added.
“And if you’ve had your first two doses, please get your booster to reduce your risk of dying
from COVID-19 or passing it on to your friends and family.”
A follow-up survey performed on 143 random Gold Coast households one week later on
January 29, showed that:
* The rate of infection had halved to 1 in 13 (11/143)
* Six out of the 11 who tested positive reported having symptoms
* Only two of the 11 who tested positive were already aware they were positive
Health Minister Yvette D’Ath urged Gold Coasters to get vaccinated and to get tested as
soon as they experienced symptoms.
“As we know, the true number of cases in the community is likely to be much greater than
what is reported to Queensland Health due to the number of cases confirmed through at-
home testing,” Ms D’Ath said.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and refine our response in light of any updated
data and modelling as it is released.”
chief health officer Dr John Gerrard thanked the Gold Coast Public Health Unit for
undertaking the survey, led by Gold Coast Public Health Unit Medical Director Andre
Wattiaux.
He also thanked medical and nursing students from Bond, Griffith and Southern Cross
universities working with the team.
“We acknowledge this is a small sample size, but the rates are high enough to be reliable.
These results help shape our understanding of the prevalence of COVID-19 in the
community and inform our public health response,” he said.
“This is a reminder that basic prevention measures such as vaccination, social distancing,
hand hygiene and coming forward to get tested remain central to us getting through this
phase of the pandemic.
This comes as a GP spoke out about a radical change that’s needed with Australia’s Omicron strategy.
Upper Coomera Respiratory Clinic owner and high-profile GP Dr Sonu Haikerwal told the Bulletin she wished to see a “national” approach to the ongoing Omicron wave and potential future Covid-19 outbreaks, rather than a state-by-state response.
She says there is no longer any point in separating the vaccinated and unvaccinated.
It comes as New South Wales has recorded 12,632 new coronavirus cases and 38 deaths, with 2578 people in hospital and 160 in ICUs.
Victoria has recorded 12,157 new infections and 34 deaths, with 752 patients in hospital and 82 in ICUs.
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