What is the Situation of Coronavirus Cases in Australia?
As of June 2022, it seems that all things Covid related have begun to settle down, but are we really out of the woods? After a spike in Coronavirus cases at the beginning of 2022, it has become imperative that statistics be monitored to ensure that decisive action can be taken when numbers increase. Though our country has taken care to effectively manage the Covid-19 Pandemic, Covid in Australia and the cases that are reported should still be monitored so that outbreaks are met with action, to ensure the safety of those who are most at risk for severe illness. As of June 2022, the 7-day average sits at around 25 to 30 thousand new cases reported each day. Considering that at the beginning of 2022, the weekly average sat at over 100 thousand cases the situation is far less dire heading into the second half of the year.
According to the Australian Government Department of Health, the number of Covid cases in Australia as of today is 8.13million cases, though the total number of deaths is currently sitting at 9897, as of June 30thn2022. These numbers represent a tremendous effort to not only slow the spread of the disease but also ensure that there are as few severe cases and deaths as possible. The following is a list of the total number of cases of Covid in Australian states today.
- Australian Capital Territory: 158K
- New South Wales: 2.81M
- Northern Territory: 78.4
- Queensland: 1.29M
- South Australia: 593K
- Tasmania: 188K
- Victoria: 2.11M
- Western Australia: 904K
What Precautions Has Australia Taken During the Coronavirus Pandemic?
The Australian government developed a number of measures to prevent not only the spreading of the Coronavirus but also instances of severe disease, taking care to ensure that those who are at most risk have the ability to protect themselves. The following are just a few precautions that have been taken to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in Australia throughout the pandemic.
- The health system was restructured: Hospitals around the country had to change the way they were functioning to better prepare themselves for periods of high active cases of Covid-19 in Australia. Hospitals had to expand ICU their wards and introduce new measures when it came to the separation of people, with specific Covid-19 wards being set up and segregated from those who had not contracted the virus.
- The development of the COVIDSafe app: The COVIDSafe app was developed to help prevent the spread of the virus through a tracking system that alerts those who may have been in close contact with a positive case.
- The Covid-19 vaccine in Australia: As Covid-19 deaths in Australia by age are monitored extensively and have shown that those who are older are more at risk, the vaccine rollout was centred around getting to those who were older first. This strategic vaccine rollout has been done in many other countries all over the world as it significantly lowers instances of severe cases and deaths.
- Travel bans: Throughout most of the pandemic, Australia closed its borders to international travel, and during times of increasing cases, certain regions were locked down, with no travel in or out of certain places. This helped to prevent Covid-19 in Australia but was impractical to live with. The system now allows for people to travel to and from Australia as long as they are fully vaccinated, helping increase the amount of local and international tourism across the country.
What are the current measures taken in Australia?
Over the last few months, the Australian government has taken steps to help the country return to a new normal while still carefully monitoring the increase of Covid cases. The following is a look at the current measures in place to stop the spread of Covid in Australia, as set out by the Australian Government Department of Health.
- Travel: While travel, both local and international, has resumed in Australia, to ensure that the Coronavirus is not spread, there are certain precautions and measures that have been set in place. To avoid Covid-19 in Australia, travellers in and out of the country are required to present proof that they have been fully vaccinated and are also required to wear masks on flights.
- Additional COVID-19 vaccination providers: The Australian government is opening up to host additional vaccine providers, ensuring that those within Australia have adequate access to different vaccine options. This has been initiated with the hopes of increasing the number of vaccinated people within the country.
- Self-testing kits: In order to increase the number of people who have symptoms and are tested, the government has approved the use of COVID-19 rapid antigen self-tests.
What Are the Authorities Saying About Covid-19 in Australia?
The Covid-19 situation in Australia is still being carefully monitored, though extreme measures are to be avoided at all costs. While the shutting down of the country helped to reduce the number of Covid cases, the economy was hugely impacted by these restrictions. While the beginning of the pandemic saw the Australian government take extreme measures that worked to protect the country, it is not possible to shut down the country for an extended period of time as was seen throughout 2020 and 2021.
Living with the virus and taking measures to ensure that those at risk are protected by things like vaccines has lessened the burden, with Australia only experiencing 9897deaths, as of June 30th 2022, over the entire pandemic. This disease will more than likely be around for years to come and Covid-19 in Australia, and all over the world, will be something that we learn to live with. Through good hygiene practices and using hand sanitising products throughout the day, you can do your best to prevent infection and the spread of the disease, reducing the number of cases of Covid-19 in Australia!
Visit the Australian or your local health department's website for COVID-19 state and territory statistics :https://www.health.gov.au/health-alerts/covid-19/case-numbers-and-statistics