A Sydney doctor has unloaded on anti-vaxxers saying "our pre-Covid life has died" and said vaccination was the only way forward.
Sydney doctor Sacha Kepreotis has issued an impassioned plea for Australians to get vaccinated as frontline healthcare workers struggle with increasing hospitalisations caused by the Delta variant.
In a viral post, he details the long-term effects of Covid-19, which he says are far more concerning than the "rare and mostly treatable vaccine side-effects".
"Long term breathing problems, blood clots, myocarditis, disabling fatigue, impaired concentration, memory problems, loss of taste/smell, prolonged hospitalisation, loss of employment and more to be discovered," he wrote.
Dr Kepreotis said vaccines would be the only way we'd be able to return to "some semblance of normality".
"As much as I hate to acknowledge, but our pre-covid life has died … Lockdown, masks, social distancing will only shield our healthcare system from complete collapse until vaccination rates are high enough that we can reopen with protection against severe infection."
This comes as Australians will have a third vaccine option within weeks with the country’s drug regulator set to approve the Moderna jab within a fortnight.
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NSW Health has published more venues of concern in Newcastle, Tamworth and Sydney’s west.
⚠️PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT – NEW VENUES OF CONCERN⚠️
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 8, 2021
NSW Health has been notified of new venues of concern in Newcastle, Tamworth and Sydney’s west which are associated with confirmed cases of COVID 19. pic.twitter.com/uJbnY7lZn1
Sydney doctor Sacha Kepreotis has issued an impassioned plea for Australians to get vaccinated as frontline healthcare workers struggle with increasing hospitalisations caused by the Delta variant.
In a now viral post, he details the long-term effects of Covid-19, which he says are far more concerning than the "rare and mostly treatable vaccine side-effects".
"Long term breathing problems, blood clots, myocarditis, disabling fatigue, impaired concentration, memory problems, loss of taste/smell, prolonged hospitalisation, loss of employment and more to be discovered," he wrote.
"Symptoms have been seen to last beyond 12 months, and who knows for how long after that. How many will need long term oxygen? How many will have pulmonary hypertension and associated heart problems? How many will have recurrent blood clots? We do not know."
He also shared the sacrifices made by frontline workers who often finished their shifts with pressure sores on their face as a result of wearing N95 masks.
"Front line staff are continually exposed to COVID and are cursed with the responsibility of ensuring that their own donning and doffing technique is perfect for long shifts, all the while feeling like you are suffocating in N95 masks and leave for home with pressure sores on your face together with the fear that you are bringing the virus back home to your loved ones," he wrote.
"ICU resources are limited and already stretched. Regular treatments and procedures are being delayed or withheld," he continued. "Non COVID-related health problems are subsequently being severely affected."
"We cannot continue like this."
Dr Kepreotis said he's seen Covid-infected patients with "grossly abnormal" lungs, similar to the below image released by Northwestern Medicine which shows the X-Ray of a Covid-19 damaged lung of a patient who required a lung transplant.
Instead Dr Kepreotis said that vaccines would be the only way we'd be able to return to "some semblance of normality".
"This is not the flu – I cannot repeat that enough," he wrote. "If Delta is around you, and you are unmasked or don’t wash your hands adequately, you will catch it. Vaccination is the ONLY thing proving to protect against serious infection."
"As much as I hate to acknowledge, but our pre-covid life has died… Lockdown, masks, social distancing will only shield our healthcare system from complete collapse until vaccination rates are high enough that we can reopen with protection against severe infection."
You can read his full post here
Thousands have flooded Sydney Olympic Park to get the jab at NSW Health's Super Sunday vaccination drive.
5000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were on offer, with priority given to supermarket, hospitality and food supply workers.
People were required to make a booking, with anyone over the age of 18 years welcome.
Reports on social media have called the process "seamless," with Twitter user @scottrowntree saying it took 20 minutes "in and out".
"Decent turnout too, looked like at least a few hundred both being processed and in the queues outside," he said.
"Exclusively AstraZeneca, no shortage of under 40s."
"Give young people an inch, we take it a mile. Massive line at the Sydney Olympic Park vaccination hub this morning," shared another @lukejobson97 on Twitter.
A third vaccine option will be available for Australians with the federal government securing millions of Moderna jabs.
They are pending TGA approval – but should be cleared for use within a fortnight.
The inital shipment of a million vaccines is set to arrive by September.
In addition to these, Australia will receive 3 million more each month in October, November and December.
If you're between 18 and 39, this one's for you:
— Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) August 8, 2021
Starting tomorrow if you give a doctor your informed consent you'll be able to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine in some state-run vaccination clinics.
The Northern Territory has banned Queenslanders from Cairns or Yarrabah from entering the territory.
Anyone arriving from Cairns or Yarrabah after that time will be directed into 14 days of supervised quarantine at the Howard Springs quarantine facility as of 12pm Sunday.
People who have visited those areas in the last 10 days must immediately isolate until they return a negative test result.
NT hotspot declarations for southeast Queensland will remain in place, as residents emerge from lockdown this afternoon as scheduled.
A newsagent, barber and service station in Newcastle have been added to NSW Health’s Covid venues of concern.
Anyone who attended the Nextra Newsagency at Newcastle’s Charlestown Square shopping centre on Thursday July 29 between 3.15pm and 3.22pm and 4.18pm to 4.24pm is a close contact and must get tested and isolate for 14 days since they were there, regardless of the result.
That advice also applies to anyone who attended Newcastle’s Barber Industries at Westfield Kotara, on Thursday August 5 between 1.30om and 2.00pm.
Customers at Newcastle’s Ampol Service Station, at 41 Minmi Road in Maryland, between 4.30am and 10.00am on Friday 6 August are also considered a close contact and must get tested and isolate for 14 days since they were there, regardless of the result.
All the latest venues of concern are listed below and on the NSW Health website.
After being out of work since July 17, construction workers across NSW will be able to return to unoccupied sites across Greater Sydney, the Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Shellharbour from Wednesday, August 11.
Deputy Premier John Barilaro made the announcement on Saturday and said that sites will be allowed to operate at 50 per cent capacity.
Extra precautions have been made for tradies from the eight hot spot local government areas (LGAs) of Blacktown, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool and Parramatta.
Construction workers from these areas must provide evidence that they’ve received both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine or their first dose at least three weeks before attending work. However, construction workers who’ve only received their first dose can re-enter the site before the three week period if they’ve return a negative Covid-19 test in the 72 hours before.
A return to school and to work is slated for Greater Sydney residents if New South Wales can hit a total of 6 million doses of Covid-19 vaccinations by August 28.
The race is on to get another 1.6 million jabs in arms during the next three weeks after the state reached 4.4 million jabs.
“Pleasingly, New South Wales has now made sure that there are 4.4 million jabs in arms. That is positive,” Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.
“This is a race. We are tracking well to hit our 6 million target (of at least one dose).
“I am keen to get to 6 million jabs by the end of August because that will provide us opportunities to consider what life looks like in September.”
The Far North Queensland city of Cairns and the Indigenous community in Yarrabah have been put into lockdown after an unexpected case has thrown contact tracers.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she “was very concerned” after a taxi driver was infectious in the community for 10 days and said more testing had to be done.
The lockdown will begin from 4pm today and last for three days. However residents will be able to have to visitors into their homes.
Read the full story here.
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