❓ Dr. Thomas questions the Premier's faith in COVID-19 modelling and seeks clarity on its accuracy and application to restriction exit plans. The response acknowledges modelling's limitations in WA's context due to high vaccination rates and refers to publicly available reports.
AnsweredQoN 319Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
CORONAVIRUS —
HEALTH MODELLING
319. Hon Dr STEVE THOMAS to the Leader of the House
representing the Premier:
I refer to the number of new daily
COVID-19 cases, the daily hospitalisation rate of COVID patients and the number
of COVID cases in ICU compared with the modelling done by the Department of
Health.
(1) Does the
Premier have faith in the COVID modelling released in February this year, and
is this modelling accurate?
(2) If no to
(1), what alternative modelling is the Premier using or does he have access to?
(3) If yes to
(1), at what point will the Premier use the modelling to deliver an exit plan
for restrictions?
(4) With
patronage of 45 000 people at Optus Stadium on Sunday, what does that equate to
in square metres per person?
HEALTH MODELLING
319. Hon Dr STEVE THOMAS to the Leader of the House
representing the Premier:
I refer to the number of new daily
COVID-19 cases, the daily hospitalisation rate of COVID patients and the number
of COVID cases in ICU compared with the modelling done by the Department of
Health.
(1) Does the
Premier have faith in the COVID modelling released in February this year, and
is this modelling accurate?
(2) If no to
(1), what alternative modelling is the Premier using or does he have access to?
(3) If yes to
(1), at what point will the Premier use the modelling to deliver an exit plan
for restrictions?
(4) With
patronage of 45 000 people at Optus Stadium on Sunday, what does that equate to
in square metres per person?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for some
notice of the question.
(1)–(3) The
COVID-19 modelling can be a useful indicator of potential scenarios based on
specific assumptions. As the Premier has previously stated, modelling is
difficult to apply to the Western Australian context due to the world-leading
vaccination rates. I note the Department of Health publishes a bi-weekly report each Tuesday and Friday on Western Australia's
COVID-19 outcomes. Each report compares actual cases , hospitalisations
and ICU admissions against scenario modelling.
(4) The Chief Health Officer's advice on 24
March 2022 recommended that a 75 per cent capacity for major stadiums, including Optus Stadium, be implemented.
This was effective from 12.01 am on Thursday , 31 March 2022. There was
no requirement for a square metre capacity limit for the AFL game at Optus Stadium
on Sunday, 3 April 2022.
notice of the question.
(1)–(3) The
COVID-19 modelling can be a useful indicator of potential scenarios based on
specific assumptions. As the Premier has previously stated, modelling is
difficult to apply to the Western Australian context due to the world-leading
vaccination rates. I note the Department of Health publishes a bi-weekly report each Tuesday and Friday on Western Australia's
COVID-19 outcomes. Each report compares actual cases , hospitalisations
and ICU admissions against scenario modelling.
(4) The Chief Health Officer's advice on 24
March 2022 recommended that a 75 per cent capacity for major stadiums, including Optus Stadium, be implemented.
This was effective from 12.01 am on Thursday , 31 March 2022. There was
no requirement for a square metre capacity limit for the AFL game at Optus Stadium
on Sunday, 3 April 2022.
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