Rita Panahi: Covid catastrophists’ demented Omicron reaction

The Covid catastrophists have wasted no time ramping up the Omicron alarmism, and sadly, there are indications our governments will be spooked into imposing restrictions.

The demented reaction to the latest strain of coronavirus, Omicron, is as predictable as it is depressing.

On the one hand we have measured infectious disease experts cautioning against panic and pointing out that new variants are not only expected but may be beneficial in tackling Covid-19.

But then there are the Covid catastrophists who never miss an opportunity to ramp up the alarmism and push for illiberal, and ultimately useless, policies to tackle a virus that we know will be with us in the long term with multiple mutations.

Indeed, infectious disease experts have been telling us for more than 18 months that coronavirus would become endemic with many new variants.

Sadly, there are indications that governments, both state and federal, will be spooked into imposing further restrictions just as the country was preparing to rejoin the rest of the world.

There were reports on Monday afternoon that there would be a delay to the December 1 reopening for visa holders entering Australia.

Just as worrying are reports of health officials considering the reintroduction of 14 days of quarantine for all international arrivals.

International travellers arrive in Melbourne as Australia records it's first cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19. Picture: AFP

This follows the announcement over the weekend that all international arrivals would have to self-quarantine for 72 hours.

No doubt these measures are popular with the scared witless portions of the population but given the country is near 90 per cent double vaccinated, the time for new restrictions is long gone.

Federal Labor, however, appears trapped in a March 2020 mindset spending much of today’s Question Time pushing for further quarantine facilities.

Thankfully, there’s at least one adult in a leadership position in this country with NSW premier Dominic Perrottet confirming that there would be no return to hotel quarantine in NSW.

It’s never been more prudent to listen to rational, credentialled experts, who, unlike their Covid-zero colleagues, have not been consistently wrong throughout the pandemic.

Here’s some of the expert commentary on the new variant:

Infectious disease physician and former Australian deputy chief medical officer Dr Nick Coatsworth: “If this is milder than Delta you actually want it to spread within your community. You want it to outcompete Delta and become the pro-dominant circulating virus.

“So, that shows you how much more we have to learn about this because it could be, it could be that we want Omicron to spread around the world as quickly as possible.”

“I definitely don’t think we should be waking up to any sort of panic … I don’t think there’s any strong evidence at the moment, apart from the fact that it’s got 30 mutations that those mutations are going to have the sort of negative effect that we think.”

Dr Nick Coatsworth. Picture: Getty Images

Infectious disease physicians and leading epidemiologist Professor Greg Dore: “Ideal response to uncertainty is to accelerate evidence gathering. It’s not to pull the panic levers, to trot out the precautionary principle, to ring the alarm bells, to seek the council of the doom merchants. Omicron’s greatest harm to date is indirect”.

Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Marty Makary: “With Omicron, therapeutics are once again missing from the Covid conversation. Molnupiravir & Paxlovid both block virus replication and thus work across variant strains. Fluvoxamine acts on a common inflammatory pathways so would logically work with Omicron infections, as well.

“I’m constantly amazed at how little awareness and coverage there has been on fluvoxamine, which is available now. It’s not a medication with mixed results/controversy. A second RCT reported a 91 per cent reduction in Covid deaths. It can also be used in combination with new antivirals. There has been such an intense focus on vaccines that therapeutics have been understated and often overlooked.

“In the unlikely event that Omicron evades immunity, fluvoxamine and antivirals would be a powerful tool to treat it. The FDA will vote to authorise molnupiravir on Tuesday and millions of treatment courses could be available as soon as two weeks from now. (The UK already approved it)”

Chair of the South African Medical Association Dr Angelique Coetzee who was among the first to identify and treat the new variant: “For patients with mild disease we have easily treated them at home with no complications up until now, they’re all healthy. It might be the same … The same type of infectiousness as the Delta variant but the severity that we have currently seeing is not so severe.

“(Patient) have asymptomatic symptoms not the same as Delta, no loss of smell, no loss of taste, no stuffy nose, no cough, no fever or very little fever. I saw, these whole 10 days, only two patients with fever. Also their oxygen saturation was normal.”

Australia has one of the world’s highest vaccination rates. Picture: AFP

Perth-based infectious disease physician Dr Clay Golledge: “Yes we heard it all yesterday. “Mass deaths, abundance of caution, crush and kill, keeping safe and now Omicron”, to add to the fearmongering. As another state falls to 2020 attitudes most of WA just blithely accept the needless over the top border rules.”

“Just finished a very good meeting with 10 colleagues in the ID, immunology and epidemiology space. They are all in agreement that we have completely overreacted to what is at worst only a perceived threat. Covid and common sense seem mutually exclusive especially here in WA.”

Melbourne surgeon Dr Ranjit Rao: “If new variant is actually less severe, then its great news for the world, especially if it becomes dominant. It means it’s becoming closer to a flu-like virus. Having vulnerable vaccinated and boosted is best protection. Remainder won’t get too sick anyway”.

Deakin University epidemiologist Catherine Bennett: “On the good news side, (we are) hearing from the South African Medical Association (it’s) a mild illness. Also presenting differently as muscle aches and fatigue. What we are hearing is it’s … less like a respiratory illness and more like a low-grade infection that seems to clear in a couple of days.”

Australia’s Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly has advised that the evidence so far suggests vaccines were just as effective against Omicron as previous variants.

A big part of the problem with the current cycle of fear and hysteria is the Australian media, who have become addicted to the easy clickbait content that is Covid-19 alarmism.

And, there is no shortage of “dial-a-quote” experts of dubious merit willing to give the most alarmist take imaginable.

It seems to matter little how often and how wildly wrong some of these “experts” have been over the past two years, they still get a run with their relentless scaremongering.

Australia is among the most-vaccinated countries in the world, we are as protected as we are ever going to be, we cannot reimpose restrictions and lockdowns every time a new variant comes along.

Living with Covid-19 means allowing individuals to make decisions about their own welfare.