Australia faces double threat of flu spike and second Omicron wave

We haven’t even seen the last of the current Omicron outbreak but authorities are already warning of another wave set to sweep the country.

Australia is expected to face a fresh Omicron wave on top of its first major surge of flu cases since the pandemic began, within just weeks.

The chief medical officer Professor Paul Kelly appeared before a Senate Covid committee on Wednesday, and said his international counterparts agreed that “we won’t be leaving this pandemic for some time”.

He said that by the time winter rolls around in a few months we will likely be hit by widespread Covid outbreaks again.

“Every June since 2020 there has been a wave of Covid in Australia and other southern hemisphere countries,” he said.

“In the future, we will have more waves. I think we will have another wave of Omicron in winter,” he said.

“But it will be very different because of the booster rollout, because of the availability of treatments and the clinical care that we have.”

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Cases numbers are dropping across the nation. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Ian Currie

“The way we live with Covid is changing, has changed already.”

Prof Kelly added that Australia could also expect a spike in flu cases this coming winter.

“There was not a winter surge of the flu last year, and flu in the northern hemisphere is still less than usual, but the flu has not disappeared from the world,” Prof Kelly said.

“With two years of no flu, we will probably have (a flu season) and we are prepared for all eventualities.”

It was also revealed in the hearing that tens of thousands of aged care residents who had received two Covid vaccine doses were yet to receive a booster.

As of this week, 99 per cent of nursing homes had been visited to offer boosters, but the committee was told that only two thirds of the 89 per cent of residents in those facilities who were fully vaccinated had rolled up their sleeves for the extra jab.

In the hearing, Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie unleashed on the country’s aged care minister.

Richard Colbeck is standing by his decision to go to the cricket on the same day he declined to attend an inquiry into Australia’s pandemic response.

During a fiery exchange on Wednesday, Senator Colbeck was grilled about whether he regretted the decision to go to the Ashes 5th Test in Hobart after the Prime Minister admitted it didn’t pass the pub test.

Senator Colbeck, who is also sports minister, had been asked to front up to the inquiry on January 14 but advised it was too crucial a time in the Omicron outbreak to be able to – but he then went to the evening match.

Senator Jacqui Lambie questions Aged Care Services Minister Richard Colbeck at Senate Select Committee. Picture: Gary Ramage

“Do you still think it was appropriate to attend the cricket?” Labor committee chair Katy Gallagher asked, pointing to the thousands of Covid cases in aged care and a request to bring in the Australian Defence Force at the time.

“I was very cognisant of the circumstances the sector was in, in fact all through that weekend I continued to work on matters relating to both my portfolios, particularly aged care, even though it was a weekend and I was attending the test match,” Senator Colbeck said. “It was a decision I made. I have to stand by it and live with it. Other people will make judgment about it I’m sure, plenty already have.”

Despite the warning of a future wave, there is good news on case numbers and hospitalisations from the current Covid outbreak across Australia — as both metrics have fallen in recent days.

Here are the figures for your region from Wednesday.

ACT

Deaths: 0

Cases: 549

In hospital: 61 (one person in ICU)

NSW

Deaths: 27

Cases: 11,807

In hospital: 2,622 (170 people in ICU)

Queensland

Deaths: 16

Cases: 9,360

In hospital: 764 (49 people in ICU)

South Australia

Deaths: 1

Cases: 1,723

In hospital: 233 (21 people in ICU)

Tasmania

Deaths: 0

Cases: 666

In hospital: 16 (one person in ICU)

Victoria

Deaths: 25

Cases: 14,533

In hospital: 768 (99 people in ICU)

Western Australia

Deaths: 0

Cases: 29

In hospital: 1

– with NCA NewsWire