Dr Kerry Chant reveals just how bad things in NSW have gotten

Kerry Chant has been lauded for her calm, measured approach during the NSW outbreak. But today she revealed just how bad it’s got.

For more than a year, NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant has been lauded for steadily guiding the ship — and her state — through a pandemic that is unlike anything we’ve seen in our lifetime.

At the daily 11am press conferences that have fast become essential viewing for the residents of Greater Sydney, Dr Chant’s measured delivery of the case numbers, sincerity and empathy when announcing the latest deaths, and straight-talking when explaining new restrictions has been a salve for our panic and exhaustion.

But over the past week or so, as cases continue to skyrocket, and a ridiculous rumour surfaced (and was promptly quashed) that she’d quit amid the crisis, Dr Chant’s unflappable composure has started to crack.

After the announcement of 633 new cases in NSW today — and, sadly, another three deaths — there were the usual declarations of despair and frustration on social media. Among those, though, were observations of the CHO’s evident frustration and fatigue, with many writing that they don’t know how she holds it together.

The Project’s Lisa Wilkinson put it best, tweeting that “the utter exhaustion & frustration on Dr Kerry Chant’s face says it all”.

“Can’t help wondering if when she talks about people ‘doing the wrong thing’ if she’s talking about the NSW gov & how they have ‘interpreted’ her health advice from the start of this COMPLETE mess,” Wilkinson added.

RELATED: Virus ‘escalation’ in seven Sydney suburbs

NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant during today’s press conference. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Joel Carrett

‘I cannot express enough my level of concern at these rising numbers of cases,’ Dr Chant said. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Joel Carrett

“I can’t express enough my level of concern at these rising numbers of cases,” an emotional-sounding Dr Chant told reporters during today’s update, warning as hospitalisations climb of the “real and material risk of death”.

“As the Premier has indicated, every person is passing on the virus to more than one person, so we are continuing to see case numbers increase. Whilst that vaccination will be an aid and essential for us [in] getting to a point where we can live safely with Covid, our vaccination coverage at the moment is far too low.

“We need to push that up as much as we can but in the meantime, we also need to do everything we can to not come in contact with anyone, to minimise our movements and to continue to get tested and isolate if you have the most minimal of symptoms.”

Dr Chant begged the community to “be particularly vigilant” and “follow the public health rules”.

“Don’t try and look for loopholes. You know the intent. Please minimise your movements. Stay at home. We can get through this and I’m very confident with all the efforts in place that we can, but we need everyone to play their part,” she said.

The utter exhaustion & frustration on Dr Kerry Chant’s face says it all.

Can’t help wondering if when she talks about people “doing the wrong thing” if she’s talking about the NSW gov & how they have “interpreted” her health advice from the start of this COMPLETE mess.

#633

— Lisa Wilkinson (@Lisa_Wilkinson) August 18, 2021

Please protect Dr Chant I don't know how she does this every day.

— Eliza Barr (@ElizaJBarr) August 18, 2021

Is it just me or have we just seen Dr Kerry Chant crack it with the politicians? I don’t think I’ve seen her as clear, concise and in command of her advice directly to NSW. She cut right through. #auspol#nswlockdown#COVID19nsw

— Michael Usher (@michaelusher) August 15, 2021

It's refreshing to hear Kerry Chant acknowledge the limits of health advice and the need for governments, not public health officials, to incorprate that advice into workable policy. Hardly a radical proposition, but one that needs restating.

— Chip Le Grand (@Melbchief) August 18, 2021

There’s also been talk of tension among NSW authorities behind the scenes — with talk that health advice provided by Dr Chant to Premier Gladys Berejiklian and the government has been undermined.

During a parliamentary hearing last Tuesday, Dr Chant revealed her team underestimated the spread of the virus in Sydney’s west in the days before the city was forced to lock down.

“With the benefit of hindsight, I think it’s easy to say there was a greater risk of a seeding event in southwestern Sydney than was appreciated at the time,” she said.

Dr Chant revealed that after the spread of the Delta strain of coronavirus was first discovered in Sydney’s eastern suburbs on June 16, she waited nine days before advising the government to lock down the area on June 25.

The following day, the entire city was locked down, again on the advice of Dr Chant.

The top doctor said she provided the Sydney lockdown advice in written form, but that there had been verbal discussions of locking down earlier than that.

RELATED: Real reason lockdowns aren’t working

Dr Chant, with Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Health Minister Brad Hazzard. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Gaye Gerard

Quizzed today by Sky News political editor Andrew Clennell over whether the “right health orders and lockdown were in place”, Ms Berejiklian sidestepped the question — only for Dr Chant to be asked by a different reporter about whether she had given health advice to the Government that has not been adhered to.

“Have you suggested a harsher lockdown is needed and that advice has been ignored? It’s a yes or no answer,” the reporter added.

“It’s not as easy as that,” Dr Chant said, only to be told, “yes it is”.

“What we do is define the problems. We define the fact the transmission is occurring, the fact we need to decrease mobility, we need to reduce presence at workplaces, we need to keep activity to the most essential. Those are the objectives we need,” Dr Chant responded.

Not quite satisfied with her response, Dr Chant was asked if she was “seeking harsher restrictions”.

“I’m just commenting on the fact with the R effective (reproductive rate) above one, we’re seeing growing case numbers. We need to drive the R effective beneath one and I’m committed strongly to be saying that that is what we need to do,” she said.

“We have ongoing discussions about what more we can do. Obviously the Premier has been very clear that our reproductive rate — the R effective is above one. We need to get that below one and we need — and from my personal view — is we need to get it as low as possible so we can see that the case numbers can decline as rapidly as possible.

“But here’s a range of strategies already that have been announced and there is a lag in the figures. But obviously I’m concerned. I cannot say other than the fact that I’m incredibly concerned.”