Coronavirus: Age the issue ‘so put focus on keeping older Aussies safe’

The majority of NSW residents hospitalised with the COVID-19 virus are older than 60.

Young tourists on the grass at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Tuesday. Picture: AAP

The majority of NSW residents admitted to hospital with the COVID-19 virus are older than 60, according to official figures.

Data released by NSW Health to The Australian shows that 48 coronavirus patients currently receiving treatment in public hospitals are aged 60 or older, amounting to about 75 per cent of cases. There are 65 people in NSW hospitals receiving assistance for COVID-19 who are not in intensive care. The numbers were accurate as of 8pm on Monday.

NSW Health said on Tuesday 164 people were receiving treatment for the virus, with 35 in intensive care, 16 on ventilators, and 65 patients receiving medical assistance in their homes for mild symptoms.

Treating people in their homes is designed to reduce strain on the health system.

With 2032 infections recorded statewide, the hospitalisation rate stands at 4.8 per cent, though until now the age groupings of these patients remained unknown.

Peter Collignon, professor of infectious diseases at the Australian National University, said NSW Health should be releasing regular and more detailed briefings on the ages of coronavirus patients in hospital.

About 1404 people younger than 60 have been infected with the virus in NSW, according to the NSW Health statistics, though it is not known how many of them have needed medical assistance in a hospital.

Of the eight in the state who have died of COVID-19, none were younger than 70.

Professor Collignon said there needed to be greater openness about the data being provided in Australia, particularly as we shift to a discussion around how society should proceed with long-term self-isolation measures.

“The people who most need to self-distance are people in the at-risk groups that are clearly defined,” he said, referring to the elderly and those with underlying health conditions.

But, while everyone needs to play a role in decreasing infection rates, he said there was an argument for relaxing current restrictions so they don’t apply to all age groups, particularly the young, who appeared to be more resilient.

“In my mind, what we did two weeks ago has worked,” Professor Collignon said. “We have had a dramatic fall in the number of new cases nationally, and in NSW, and we should be thankful for that and not lock everyone up in their homes for the next six months.”

He said the ongoing problem would be managing COVID-19 not in six months, but next April and beyond: “This is not going to go away. Unless we become like North Korea, we’re going to have to open up our borders. We’re going to have to adapt.”