Why Is Covid Morbidity No Longer On The National Agenda?

Since the start of the pandemic almost 7800 Australians have died from Covid, leaving health experts perplexed as to why its no longer on the national agenda.

However, it seems with Australia’s high vaccination rates, and the latest Omicron variants less deadly than those at the start of the pandemic, there is an absence of Covid discourse.

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“After two years on high alert, plunging in and out of isolation, staring at every stranger’s cough, sanitising our hands like there’s no tomorrow, we just don’t have the energy anymore,” Public Health Association of Australia CEO Terry Slevin said.

It’s therefore, not surprising that people are becoming apathetic about Covid he pointed out.

“Already we’re seeing a fight for people in public health to hang on to what resources they’ve got,” Slevin said.

“The all-important focus groups must be telling our politicians we don’t care about this stuff, because otherwise, they’d be talking about it.”

- Mr Slevin

It seems Australians, like many others around the world are not only tired of endless suffering because of the pandemic; but are are fatigued by our own fatigue.

The prolonged crisis now demands greater compassion, and empathy from our leaders, to help shift the current state of disillusionment and transform it into boundless enthusiasm and rigour for life.

Meanwhile, Covid cases and hospitalisations across Australia and New Zealand look like this:

Western Australia 

• New cases: 12,266
• Covid-related deaths: 1
• Hospital and ICU admissions: 314 / 11  

Northern Territory 

• New cases: 251
• Covid-related deaths: 0
• Hospital and ICU admissions: 22 / 1

Australian Capital Territory 

• New cases: 887   
• Covid-related deaths: 0
• Hospital and ICU admissions: 75 / 5 

Queensland 

• New cases: 4,686
• Covid-related deaths: 0
• Hospital and ICU admissions: 435 / 7

New South Wales 

• New cases: 286
• Covid-related deaths: 4
• Hospital and ICU admissions: 1,437 / 65

Victoria 

• New cases: 11,464
• Covid-related deaths: 5 
• Hospital and ICU admissions: 526 / 3

South Australia 

• New cases: 3,392
• Covid-related deaths:
• Hospital and ICU admissions: 248 / 7

Tasmania 

• New cases: 854
• Covid-related deaths: 1
• Hospital and ICU admissions: 44 / 1

New Zealand 

• New cases: 7,061
• Covid-related deaths: 5
• Hospital and ICU admissions: 415 / 11 

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