A leading Queensland infectious diseases doctor has warned snap COVID-19 lockdowns are likely to remain for years to come.
In an interview with 9News, Dr Paul Griffin said he believes the new reality is that new variants of the virus will likely end up in our community and we should get used to it.
Working on the COVID frontline at the Mater Hospital in Brisbane, Dr Griffin said he backs the idea that lockdowns are an “effective way” of controlling outbreaks.
“Until we have sufficient coverage of the vaccine, a lockdown is an effective way of getting back under control – unfortunately our vaccine rollout isn’t quite at that point yet,” he said.
“The reality is we will likely see new strains emerge – seeing community transmission is a big concern and if we leave that going unchecked, we could have hundreds of cases in a very short time.”
Doctor Griffin also believes COVID testing is here to stay, even if you’ve been vaccinated, saying it will be a part of our everyday life if you ever show any symptoms.
However, the hard work’s already been put in, with vaccines currently rolling out across the country, with only minor adjustments to be made to combat the new variant if it presents itself.
But it’s no time to become complacent, with social distancing, mask and hand hygiene needing to be Australians top priority.
“People did get a little complacent and a little bit fatigued (with the virus)” he said.
“(The current lockdown in Brisbane) should really highlight how important it is to be doing these things”.
This content first appear on 9news