Great Southern residents urged to remain COVID vigilant amid concerns about potential infection wave

Great Southern residents are being encouraged to mask up indoors and get their COVID-19 winter booster as hospitalisations rise across WA. The Great Southern recorded 113 new cases of COVID-19 to 6pm on Tuesday, with 673 active cases across the region. The figures come amid a rise in hospitalisations, with a record 457 people with COVID in WA hospitals on Tuesday night, including 22 in intensive care. The Australian Medical Association WA is calling on the State Government to reintroduce a mask mandate for some indoor settings, with the AMA’s tipping point of 350 hospitalisations surpassed on Saturday. “I urge the McGowan Government to return to a cautious approach to COVID-19 within Western Australia, to protect the people of Western Australia, to protect the healthcare workers and to protect the healthcare system,” AMA WA president Mark Duncan-Smith said on Monday. However, Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said the return of masks mandates did not reflect the advice of either Australian Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly or his WA counterpart Andy Robertson. Curtin University epidemiologist Professor Archie Clements said WA was “not out of the woods” when it came to COVID. “The pandemic is ongoing, despite the fact that life has returned to normal for most of us,” he said. “But now we are seeing a silent pandemic, with rising numbers of deaths in the community that are not receiving the level of national prominence that we saw over the previous two years.” Amid the spike in hospitalisations, Great Southern residents are also being encouraged to get a winter booster shot, which has been available to anyone aged 30 years and over since July 11. Rural Doctors Association of Australia president Megan Belot said it was particularly important for rural patients to stay up-to-date with their boosters. “Our health services in rural communities are already under pressure,” Dr Belot said. “We need our rural patients to stay out of the hospital as much as possible and we also need our health workforce to remain protected from COVID so they can continue to care for our patients.” “With large numbers of COVID cases circulating in the community, the usual social distancing, mask wearing and hand sanitising remain extremely important ways to reduce the spread.” The State Government’s free influenza vaccinations are also available until the end of July.