COVID infections are spiking again across Australia and the peak isn't expected for another month or so.
It's putting pressure on hospitals, where more than 5,200 Australians are currently being treated for the disease.
That's close to the hospitalisation peak in January this year in the wake of restrictions easing and the Omicron variant spreading through the community. And more than 50,000 new COVID cases were reported across the country yesterday.
The nation's Chief Medical Officer, Paul Kelly, issued fresh warnings during a media blitz in the past 24 hours.
This prompted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to outline 'four key differences' for getting through this COVID wave.
What are the PM's 'four key differences'?
1. Get your booster: "There's plenty of vaccines available," Mr Albanese said.
2. Get access to antivirals: "Make sure if you're eligible that you speak to your doctor about accessing those antivirals that can alleviate the impact of COVID."
3. Wear a mask: "Mask wearing is encouraged across the country," he said.
"If people can wear masks if they're indoors and they can't socially distance, then that is something that is highly encouraged."
4. Stay at home if you're sick: "That is why we have re-introduced the paid pandemic leave for people who would not have an income if that wasn't the case."
Does this mean I have to wear a mask again?
You should start wearing them in more situations, Professor Kelly said.
However, he stopped short of enforcing new mask mandates, but he says the spike in cases means we should consider wearing them in a lot more situations.
"We are in for a new wave of this very infectious variant and we need to do some things differently, at least for a short period of time," Professor Kelly told RN Breakfast.
"I have recommended that we need to increase mask use … we have left it there for others to consider the pros and cons of how to do that."
Professor Kelly said schools and school systems were making their own choices on mask use.
"It's a very difficult situation in schools," he said.
He urged people to follow the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) advice to "wear masks when outside the home in crowded, indoor environments, including on public transport".
Hospitals are facing a 'very difficult' situation
This has been driven by an increase in cases of the new BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of the COVID-19 Omicron strain.
"I think the next month is going to be very difficult for our hospitals," Professor Kelly said.
"It is already difficult for our hospitals, we're starting from a very high base."
He says hospitals – which have been battling COVID for more than two years now – are already experiencing high levels of patients, and absenteeism due to illness in staff.
No-one wants to hear it, but this could lead to an increase in COVID deaths.
"Due to the number of cases, we may also see a rise in the number of people dying with COVID-19, particularly among those who are at higher risk of severe disease, most notably people over the age of 80 and those who have not received all recommended vaccine doses," Professor Kelly said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon.
datawrapper covidHe explained that vaccination alone was not enough to prevent the spread of the infectious new variants.
"These variants are highly infectious and have an ability to evade the immune protection from either previous infection or vaccine," Professor Kelly said.
"Although three or four doses of vaccine remain very effective at providing protection against severe disease from BA.4 and BA.5, vaccination alone is not effective at stopping infection or transmission of the virus from person to person."
He expects that cases will continue to rise in Australia over the coming month.
"Yesterday reaching 5,200 hospitalisations with COVID is very close to our peak throughout the entire pandemic, and it will be more," he told RN Breakfast.
Employers urged to allow working from home where possible
Professor Kelly said the AHPPC had called on employers to allow work from home if feasible.
"Employers should review their occupational health and safety risks and mitigations, and their business continuity plans," he said.
"They should consider the feasibility of some employees working from home, wearing masks in the workplace and support employees to take leave when sick.
"We cannot stop this wave of infections, but we can slow the spread and protect the vulnerable. We have done this before and we can do it again."
Australians are taking up their fourth COVID vaccine dose
Thousands of Australians got their fourth vaccine dose after it was made more widely available by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation.
"Very pleasingly, this has had an immediate effect, with almost 560,000 fourth doses administered in the first week of the expanded rollout, compared with approximately 180,000 the week before – a threefold increase," Professor Kelly said.
He encouraged people to come forward and get their COVID vaccine booster shots if they had not already.
"I also remind any Australian who has not had a third dose of vaccine that two doses of the COVID vaccines simply do not provide adequate protection against severe disease."
"Having the recommended vaccinations for your age group or risk profile is the single most important thing Australians can do to prevent severe COVID requiring hospitalisation or even death."
