Australia battles fresh Omicron outbreak as COVID deaths rise

It is true, most people are against simple things like mask mandates and social distancing returning, as if it is all too much to bare and they would rather risk death for themselves or loved ones than wear a mask in public. This just makes all the hard work that was done previously worth nothing.

People are dying and covid is being spread at alarming rates. Hospitals are filling, medical staff are being stretched to the limit and it is only going to get worse. Of course the simple things should be brought back immediately. Mask up indoors when out of your home. Disinfect often and social distance. All easy enough to do and saving lives will be the result. Less infected will be the result.

The down votes I will get, will show how many people are against even these basic precautions to save lives. I find that unbelievable.

@Peter14

The problem is that BA.5 is evading mask protection more than any other previous variant. So the value of ongoing mask use is not actually clear now.

Vaccinations offer clear benefits still but cannot stop the spread of BA.5. We've entered a new stage of pandemic and have to re-evaluate the measures.

Australia is heading into it's Winter, could this be indicative of what's coming for the Northern Hemisphere ?

What type of face-masks are predominantly being within Australia ? N95's or CERN 17553's or just none ?

Australia is reporting the highest daily numbers since the first Omicron wave earlier this year, with 89 deaths from the coronavirus on Thursday and 90 on Wednesday. Just over 55,600 new cases were recorded on Thursday, the highest since May 18.

Which makes it a 0.16% death rate.

The media hypes this way to much.

Japans infection rates are concerning also. To say nothing about China's resurgence. But I rekon 90 deaths is big enough for Australia's population size. And given what Nancy above has said then as JTC (above) says, looks likely, i.e. the Norhern Hemisphere is going to have it bad come its Flu-season, which they say willl come earlier this year, e.g. October rather than usual December. Also, as Nancy (above) rightly says, we have to (I'd say constantly) reevaluate. Personaly, I'd be more in favour of pre-emptive rather than reactinnary measures.

Not an entirely accurate article. Both Aussie and NZ have mass infections of influenza as well. Same time.

Australia reported one of its highest daily death tolls from the novel coronavirus on Thursday while hospital admissions hovered near record levels, as authorities struggle to get ahead of highly contagious Omicron variants.

Australia was doing well with the zero covid policy, which China has had great success and the lowest infection rate in the world. But Australia eased the restrictions too soon, and saw their rates skyrocket, along wth a spiraling downward economy.

https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/08/28/australia-is-ending-its-zero-covid-strategy

Australia was doing well with the zero covid policy, which China has had great success and the lowest infection rate in the world. 

Australia had no choice but to abandon the zero covid policy once the variants made it usnsustainable and counter productive. The cases skyrocketed because of this, not because of a change of policy made months before this happened, China on the other hand also had the same sudden and important increase in cases, is then your argument that China abandoned the zero Covid policy? Not to mention other countries have less deaths than China without need of a zero covid policy, and it is obviously a much more important thing to prevent deaths than mild infections.

These arguments have already been presented to you and you had no counterargument against them, why then persist on saying something you already understand to be false?

https://japantoday.com/category/world/australians-urged-to-work-from-home-as-winter-omicron-wave-swamps-hospitals#comment-3129930