LEON BYNER:
Meantime, I caught up with just a few minutes ago the Federal Health Minister, Greg Hunt.
Late yesterday, we heard this Omicron variant has been discovered in Australia, what advice have you received from Federal health authorities?
GREG HUNT:
So the advice is exactly what we’ve taken. Firstly, that we have stopped flights from the nine southern African nations.
Secondly, we have put in place a temporary ban on people coming from those nations if they’re not Australian citizens.
And thirdly, Australian citizens and permanent residents will have to go into quarantine for 14 days on arrival.
In terms of these two cases, we know from New South Wales Health, as you say late yesterday, that they’ve been detected early, they are the Omicron variant, and at this stage my understanding is that the patients are well with mild symptoms. But New South Wales Health will provide further updates on that.
LEON BYNER:
So how worried should we be about this new variant?
GREG HUNT:
Well, we’ve focused, the nature of variances we’ve had almost 30,000 different variations, as Paul Kelly describes it, Professor Paul Kelly, the Chief Medical Officer, of the disease to date that have been sequenced in Australia, and then there have been the 13 major variants.
And so, the variants remain to be seen how they will work. At this stage, one of the very preliminary observations, which is to be determined by evidence, is that there may be milder symptoms in a significant number of cases, but it’s still only a small number of cases internationally where there’s hard data.
But that’s why we’ve got the committee of chief health and medical officers, or the medical expert panel meeting daily, and we’re observing the world where we’ve taken very swift measures, and those measures have thankfully caught these cases and made sure they were contained and quarantined.
LEON BYNER:
Are there likely to be tightened restrictions on domestic or international travel as a result of this?
GREG HUNT:
Well, we’ve already put in place the very significant ban on flights from, and travel from the nine countries other than returning Australians who unfortunately have to go into the 14-day quarantine. And we’ll continue, just as we did on Saturday having commissioned the advice on the Friday, we’ll continue to take necessary measures as the medical advice recommends it.
LEON BYNER:
Now, away from COVID, there was some good news yesterday for Australians living with blood cancer after the treatment, there’s a thing called Venetoclax.
GREG HUNT:
Venetoclax, yeah.
LEON BYNER:
Yeah. Now this was added to the PBS, so that’s come down from, what, $85,000 to a prescription?
GREG HUNT:
That’s right, over $85,000, $88,000, precisely.
And Venetoclax is what’s called a targeted therapy for people with acute myeloid leukaemia, and that’s a particular form of leukaemia which can have obviously devastating effects.
This will help about 340 patients a year save $88,000, but most of them would never have been able to have afforded it. And so from Wednesday, from December 1, instead of $88,000 for $6.60 a script for those on concessional cards, this medicine will be available. And that’s just life-changing, life-extending, life improving.
LEON BYNER:
How many people might be affected by this? There’d be a few, wouldn’t there?
GREG HUNT:
So for leukaemia across Australia, there are approximately 5,000 people who are diagnosed each year. For acute myeloid leukaemia 1,100, and for the group that are likely to be able to benefit from this particular medication, it’s about 340. And for 340 families, it's just a life changing, life improving outcome.
LEON BYNER:
What's your advice for people who want to keep completely clear of COVID without being pedantically ridiculous about it? What's your suggestion, as Health Minister?
GREG HUNT:
All the things we learned at the start of the pandemic. Remember flattening the curve, and that's hand sanitising, keeping your distance. If you're unable to keep your distance, masks are appropriate.
The simple things of sneezing or coughing into the crook of your elbow. It seems like a long while ago, but they're very basic sanitisation programs that every single Australian no matter where you are, can practice.
We've, to the best of my most recent advice, we've not had any deaths from flu in Australia this year. I'll just check that again this week, Leon, but what that shows is that we know how to take care of each other.
And then most importantly, if you haven't been vaccinated, or if you’re due for your second or due for your booster, please be vaccinated. That's probably the most important advice, vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate.
LEON BYNER:
Do you anticipate any major border changes at all, either state or federal, before Christmas?
GREG HUNT:
So we'll just continue to review the advice. We made changes on Saturday, and at this point there is no plans. But always, we do have to respond to the medical advice, and I think that's the honest position.
But we're reviewing daily, and we want to make sure that we have a cautious approach, but a balanced approach. And we moved swiftly and to close those borders to nine countries, and that remains under constant review, as everybody would expect us to do.
But we were one of the first countries to close the borders to China, and so we won't hesitate to take strong action where it's necessary.
LEON BYNER:
Where has this new variant come from? Is that also from China, or do we not know?
GREG HUNT:
No. The best advice is that this has come from southern Africa.
The earliest cases appear to have been identified in South Africa. And unfortunately, the vaccination rate in South Africa is at the lower end. And they're doing their absolute best, but it means that amongst unvaccinated hosts, the potential for mutation is greater.
And that's one of the reasons why we're supporting international vaccination efforts. We’re contributing 60 million doses to lesser developed countries.
Fiji faced a crisis, it was almost- it was overwhelmingly Australia's AstraZeneca vaccine which vaccinated Fiji and brought it up to very high vaccination levels and transformed the outcome.
And we're doing that right across the Pacific. And we're contributing through what's called the COVAX initiative to vaccinations around the world.
LEON BYNER:
So how do we look in terms of Australia with regards to vaccination? We'd be at the very top end, wouldn’t we?
GREG HUNT:
Yep we are, as we speak, one of the world's most highly vaccinated societies with, as of yesterday, 92.3 per cent at first dose, and 86.7 per cent second and over 400,000 boosters already.
But we're also one of the most freshly or recently vaccinated countries, and that's very strong protection, and we're going into summer.
Now, the message though is, if you haven't been vaccinated, if for whatever reason you've not been in a position or not decided, please join. SA over the weekend past 80 per-cent double-dosed. They've joined the club of states that have achieved that Doherty milestone.
But please keep going. The more people who are vaccinated, the safer they are and the safer every other Australian is.
LEON BYNER:
Thanks for coming on. And listen, you have a Merry Christmas.
GREG HUNT:
Thanks, Leon. And to everybody in South Australia, we'll get through this, we know how to do it. We've had one of the lowest death rates, one of the highest vaccination rates. We’re one of the first countries in the world after Israel to have a whole of nation booster program. We'll get through it. We've done it before; we'll continue to do it.
LEON BYNER:
That's Greg Hunt, the Federal Health Minister, and some very good advice.