A new study of British cases by the Imperial College suggests Omicron is five times more likely to reinfect than Delta
The study, which is not yet peer-reviewed, says there is no evidence yet that Omicron cases are milder than Delta, but some say it is too early to know.
Results suggest that two-dose vaccines offer little protection against Omicron infection.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/omicron-5-4-times-more-likely-to-reinfect-than-delta-study-20211218-p59inn.html

Dear Paul,

I completely agree with your first post.

In your second post you ask:
«In the case of Covid how would you propose Australians look after their own health? To replace existing governments with who, those now in oppersition who agreed with the actions taken. Who then?»

Well, it is a bit late, once a pandemic hits and an urgent response is needed when the only mechanism in existence are states and their governments.

Clearly, the people of the land have every right to protect themselves from infectious diseases, including by preventing potential carriers from coming near them. It is a source of great pain that, this important function could only be carried (until recently) by government and also a source of great pain that this government had now pulled the rug under us, neither protecting us any longer nor allowing us to protect ourselves (all this as you say, due to their greed).

There are no other mechanisms IN EXISTENCE.
Nothing we can do about COVID-19, but we need to design new mechanisms before the next pandemic.
So long as government exists (whichever, petty political changes make no difference), it would not allow the people of the land to take their protection into their own hands. The only way we can truly protect ourselves, also the only way to avoid being thrown to the dogs (as just happened) once government greed takes precedence over our protection, is to rid ourselves of states and governments.

And the first step in this journey, at least, is to get rid of this beast of commonwealth ruling us from Canberra so that individual states/territories can protect their populations independently.

Australian governments have adopted the Communist Chinese social credit system. If we are good, and do this, that, and the other, they will reward us by returning freedoms and privileges they undemocratically took away from us.

While Morrison has been gabbling about 'getting government out of people's lives', he has overseen the worst loss of freedom and abuse ever to occur in Australia. He blames the states, of course, but he is the person who gave them draconian powers via the ridiculous, unconstitutional national 'cabinet'.

Covid passports. Check-ins. Surveillance. House arrest. Detention in unhealthy, stale, closed up hotel rooms. Even prisoners in solitary get regular exercise outdoors.

The only difference between us and the Chinese is that we, with our experience of democracy, have allowed this to happen. The Chinese haven't had democracy. What a cowardly bunch of pissants we are.

Dear Ttbn,

«he has overseen the worst loss of freedom and abuse ever to occur in Australia.»

Vietnam, Conscription? Have you forgotten?

There has been abuse, yes. SOME of the public-health measures were not commensurate with the danger and had more humane (but possibly more financially expensive) alternatives. At the same time, other public-health measures were not enough and too feeble to be effective. Yes, this was anything but democratic, yet comparing this to the horrors of China is just ridiculous, in fact words like this serve to legitimate the Communist Chinese regime - is this what you were trying to achieve?

So what the hell was it all for?

There are so many answers to this initial question
being asked on this discussion. And finding agreement
is going to be difficult at the best of times.

Lockdowns are costly. They damage businesses and
livilihoods. Is our economy more important than
people's lives? There does seem to be broad consensus
among epidemiologists that the strategy of elimination
with hard and early lockdowns until the population if
fully vaccinated is the best approach.

"Living with the virus" is risky possibly because an
increase in hospitalisation would threaten to overwhelm
the health system and this would end up being more costly.

Australia has done well with its strategy of elimination
achieved through border controls and lockdowns.
Hopefully this will continue as people get vaccinated.

Dear Hasbeen,

A simple question mate with a bloody simple answer. The lockdowns and disruption were to get us to a place where over 90% vaccination rates help protect the vast majority of our population and help to manage the strain on our health system.

And thanks largely to our State Premiers, except for the one who has just gone off the rails, Australia's Covid toll sits at just 80 per 1,000,000 of the population.

The UK sits at 2,157 and the US at 2,450. Based on the UK figures we could have had well over 50,000 dead already.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_death_rates_by_country