Gareth Parker: Why WA’s political leaders should be spreading optimism

Western Australia’s political leaders have been taken to task for their dire warnings on the state’s COVID-19 case projections and hospitalisations at the peak of the Omicron spread next month.
6PR Breakfast host Gareth Park told listeners those working actually within our hospital system are more optimistic, with staff at one hospital told more than half of triple-dose vaccinated West Aussies probably won’t show any symptoms when they catch Omicron.
Professor Grant Waterer earlier this month told a staff webinar the looming COVID wave would be “very challenging” for WA’s health system for four to six weeks but “very few” patients would have severe disease, highlighting the peak in South Australia, which had 300 hospital inpatients with COVID that lasted two to three weeks before dropping, while ICU demand peaked at around 35 beds.
“Why isn’t this the health advice we are hearing from the politicians at the press conferences?” Parker asked.
“It’s summer time, it’s hot as hell, we’re spread out, we’re highly vaccinated.
“Why don’t we get some optimism from our political leaders that is consistent with the reality of what doctors are telling each other inside the hospital system?”
Tap PLAY below to hear more from Parker on the issue.