Thread by @abc730

The days of being swamped with politicians talking about COVID already seem like a long time ago. But the virus continues to run rampant, making a lot of Australians sick and killing many, even if we don't seem to be talking about it publicly as much. #abc730

Joining @latingle in the studio to discuss the nation’s latest COVID strategy are @CrabbBrendan, @nadahamad, and @RDNS_TAI. #abc730

"The current approach to COVID in Australia is to let it run in a so-called healthy population — that means unfettered transmission largely in the wider population while trying to protect those who are deemed vulnerable ... It is clearly not working." – @CrabbBrendan #abc730

"If the average person with COVID takes five days off work when they get a case then for every million cases of COVID that is 5 million days of sick leave, and if 10 per cent of those people are getting long COVID, that is 100,000 cases of long COVID." – @RDNS_TAI #abc730

"The Australian industrial relations system really isn't set up for healthy - or usually healthy - middle-aged people to be taking large amounts of time off work, so what we are going to see is significant on labour supply." – @RDNS_TAI #abc730

"What we didn't account for is how do we manage the morbidity, not so much just the deaths but what happens to patients who have complications after COVID?" – @nadahamad #abc730

"It is essentially a new chronic illness because even if you don't consider long COVID a major issue, there are patients who are coming in with other complications after having had COVID and really we haven't accounted for that." – @nadahamad #abc730

"I think the capacity to deliver the quality of health care we are accustomed to is certainly challenged in a big way and I don't think the narrative that we are in a post-COVID world and we can go back to everything being like it was before is a realistic one." – @nadahamad

"It is pretty clear the only way to prevent long COVID is to not get COVID, and reinfections are so important. Every time you get reinfected, you increase your chances of long COVID, so it is another reason to change our strategy to be anti-transmission." – @CrabbBrendan

"More people with more ongoing illness means we either have to spend more on healthcare or we all have to accept even lower standards of healthcare. So how much will it cost the budget? I suppose it depends how much we really want to keep ourselves safe." – @RDNS_TAI #abc730

"It is unrealistic to expect that there won't be accumulating health damage or health issues longer term with multiple infections ... it is not about limiting your life entirely but living your life slightly differently to minimise that risk." – @nadahamad #abc730

"You can't protect those around you if you aren't tested and know you are positive. It's really not hard to make a big difference, but it will take an attitude shift from the top to achieve anything given the bind we are in." – @CrabbBrendan #abc730