❓ Ms Davies questions the Premier's basis for border restrictions given the lack of Omicron modelling and specific thresholds from the Chief Health Officer. The Premier outlines considerations including vaccination rates, infection rates in the east, and the impact of Omicron.
AnsweredQoN 31Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORONAVIRUS —
INTERSTATE BORDER RESTRICTIONS
31. Ms M.J. DAVIES to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question. If
the Premier does not have modelling for Omicron and no specific thresholds for
opening have been provided by the Chief Health Officer, what is he basing his
decisions on in relation to opening the state border?
INTERSTATE BORDER RESTRICTIONS
31. Ms M.J. DAVIES to the Premier:
I have a supplementary question. If
the Premier does not have modelling for Omicron and no specific thresholds for
opening have been provided by the Chief Health Officer, what is he basing his
decisions on in relation to opening the state border?
AnswerView source ↗
Honestly! I will explain it to the
Leader of the Opposition again. A review is currently being conducted by Health
in conjunction with the Chief Health Officer. A range of factors will be
considered as part of that. I will take the Leader
of the Opposition through them again. The first is the vaccination rate in Western
Australia, particularly for the third dose. All evidence is that the
third dose of the vaccine, particularly Pfizer, is very successful in
suppressing the impact of Omicron on people. Getting to a higher rate of third
dose—I think I outlined before that the rate is 53.5 per cent or thereabouts
for the third dose—will ensure that our state is better protected as
part of any reopening plan. Getting to a higher third-dose rate is part of
that. Secondly, getting to a higher vaccination rate for children is part of
the consideration, bearing in mind that children aged between five and 11 could
get vaccinated from only 10 January. Thirdly, watching the infection rates in
the east, particularly how many cases are likely to seed into Western Australia on an opening date on which
there is no requirement for quarantine or ongoing testing, is obviously an
important consideration as well. They are three considerations, but there are a
range of others as part of it.
I point out to the Leader of the
Opposition that the Prime Minister backed-in what we announced. He said that it
was the right decision because Omicron changed everything. One would have to be
living in a cave—to quote someone—not
to have noticed that Omicron changed everything. It was transmissibility. In
the first part of this year , on some days there were 5 000 people in
hospital and hundreds of people in intensive care units and on ventilators and
the like in the eastern states. Some days they had nearly 100 people dying, per
day—dying. We are actually dealing with life and death here. It should
not be a matter of glib politics and silly sloganeering; it is life and death.
That is why we are being cautious and considered in what we do in response to
these matters, and we will make further announcements, no doubt later this
month.
Leader of the Opposition again. A review is currently being conducted by Health
in conjunction with the Chief Health Officer. A range of factors will be
considered as part of that. I will take the Leader
of the Opposition through them again. The first is the vaccination rate in Western
Australia, particularly for the third dose. All evidence is that the
third dose of the vaccine, particularly Pfizer, is very successful in
suppressing the impact of Omicron on people. Getting to a higher rate of third
dose—I think I outlined before that the rate is 53.5 per cent or thereabouts
for the third dose—will ensure that our state is better protected as
part of any reopening plan. Getting to a higher third-dose rate is part of
that. Secondly, getting to a higher vaccination rate for children is part of
the consideration, bearing in mind that children aged between five and 11 could
get vaccinated from only 10 January. Thirdly, watching the infection rates in
the east, particularly how many cases are likely to seed into Western Australia on an opening date on which
there is no requirement for quarantine or ongoing testing, is obviously an
important consideration as well. They are three considerations, but there are a
range of others as part of it.
I point out to the Leader of the
Opposition that the Prime Minister backed-in what we announced. He said that it
was the right decision because Omicron changed everything. One would have to be
living in a cave—to quote someone—not
to have noticed that Omicron changed everything. It was transmissibility. In
the first part of this year , on some days there were 5 000 people in
hospital and hundreds of people in intensive care units and on ventilators and
the like in the eastern states. Some days they had nearly 100 people dying, per
day—dying. We are actually dealing with life and death here. It should
not be a matter of glib politics and silly sloganeering; it is life and death.
That is why we are being cautious and considered in what we do in response to
these matters, and we will make further announcements, no doubt later this
month.
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