‘See No Covid, Hear No Covid, Speak No Covid’

 

Between 20,000 to 25,000 Australians died from Covid in 2022, according to Professor Brendan Crabb AC Director & CEO of the Burnet Institute. “  These people would have lived if not for COVID. The scale of the tragedy is enormous. And the silence deafening. ”

An additional 1586 people died just in the first 27 days of 2023. One Australian is now dying every 30 minutes from Covid.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese quite correctly expressed his condolences when one Australian was killed in an airplane crash in Nepal recently. But he and the State Premiers have been silent about the alarming death toll from Covid in Australia. No emergency National Cabinet meeting has been held. No public health statements or measures have been announced. No reports or accurate official information about deaths and illness have been made public. Both the and State Governments have adopted a ‘ See No Covid, Hear No Covid and Speak No Covid’ policy.

 

There are warnings in the media now that cases in China could hit 900 million, and that Australia should brace itself. The highly contagious XXB.1.5 variant is already the dominant type of Covid in Victoria.  Australian scientists, doctors and researchers are publishing reports and issuing dire warnings in the media and on social media.

But Australia’s PM Albanese and State Premiers still remain silent.

Health Minister Mark Butler merely mumbled something vague to Laura Tingle on ABC 7.30 about ATAGI possibly approving a 5th bivalent booster early this year.

 

Bivalent 5th Booster

The availability of the bivalent booster is an extremely important matter. The XBB.1.5 virus is considered more immune-evasive than previous versions of the virus. However, the bivalent booster in people aged 65+ has been shown to be very effective in reducing deaths by 86% deaths and hospitalisations by 81%. (See image above).

 

An Australian study published in the Medical Journal of Australia as recently as 28 November 2022 found that “ Hospitalisations of people with myocarditis and pericarditis, pulmonary embolism, acute myocardial infarction, and stroke were significantly more frequent after COVID‐19,” and they concluded that “ Our findings reinforce the value of COVID‐19 mitigation measures such as vaccination,”

And indeed in Australia, deaths from ischemic heart disease have now lurched 17 per cent higher than would be expected in a normal year.

Nevertheless, the Albanese Government is withholding release of the 5th bivalent booster for vulnerable and people aged 65+.  Most people in this age group had their 4th booster around April last year, so they now have little if any immunity. People in aged care are particularly vulnerable and they represent the majority of those dying.

Effectively, the Australian Government is leaving Australians defenceless.

 

Covid & Long Covid Damaging Economy

The Government’s ‘ See No virus, hear no Virus and Speak no Virus” approach is to create the impression that Covid is over so that the Australian economy can boom unimpeded.

Except that it won’t. This month, the U.S. Federal Reserve Chair, Jerome Powell, when discussing the US economy, bemoaned the fact that “close to half a million who would have been working ..died from Covid ”.

And let’s not forget the impact on people and the economy of Long Covid. One in ten people will end up with Covid, according to what has been described as a ‘jaw dropping study’ of the effects of Long Covid. Professor Eric Topol reported that even with mild cases of Covid,  “One year after the initial infection, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections increased the risk of cardiac arrest, death, diabetes, heart failure, pulmonary embolism and stroke,”.

Although the Albanese Government has had some significant successes in a range of policy areas since it came to office, it is now showing total dereliction of its duty to protect Australians in this national health crisis.

 

 

 

 

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