Australia is doing relatively well in its fight against COVID-19. That might be difficult to appreciate right now, as people fight for their lives in ICU’s here and around the world, as businesses are closed and our lives reshaped.
But those things are exactly why we should celebrate victories and seek out comforts.
In case you missed Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s press conference on Thursday, Australia is well and truly in the suppression phase. Thanks to travel bans, testing, contract tracing and physical distancing, we’re squashing the epidemic curve, and managing to keep it relatively stable, while researchers work towards treatments and a vaccine with unprecedented speed and collaboration.
Because of all this, Australian authorities are looking towards a “road out” of restrictions. They’ve given themselves the next four weeks to implement crucial measures that may allow that to begin to happen. After that, it will likely be a case of certain measures being eased periodically over the following months and fired up again to squash any future localised outbreaks.
In short, we’re in a pretty good spot.
Here are a few charts that might help you visualise that.
Australia’s position relative to other countries is pretty favourable.
And our neighbour New Zealand is minimising case numbers particularly well, leading to suggestions by NZ’s Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters that passenger traffic could be opened between the two countries sooner than the rest of the world.
“Our figures with Australia, it’s almost as if we’ve got a trans-Tasman bubble between our two countries, and if the figures keep on going that way, then that is a serious possibility,” he said.
More than half of the people diagnosed in Australia have recovered.
That’s 3,747 recoveries from 6,515 cases.
Globally, closer to one-quarter of the more than 2 million confirmed cases have recovered.
Australia also has some of the highest testing rates in the world, at 1,490 tests per 100,000 people.
So far, we have performed more than 380,000 tests, just 1.7 per cent of which have returned a positive result.
Maintaining this early success, is largely down to us as individuals.
So help keep that curve squashed. Stay home unless you absolutely have to leave. Don’t gather with people you don’t already live with — outside or at home. Wash your hands thoroughly (for at least 20 seconds) and regularly. And stay 1.5 metres away from people when you do venture out.
And look after your mental health, too. Exercise daily. Talk to family and friends on the phone or via video chat. Reach out to loved ones or a professional if you need help. Because while you can’t control the situation, you can control how you respond.
Remember, this won’t be forever and you are not alone.
Read more about COVID-19:
If you are sick and believe you have symptoms of COVID-19, call your GP ahead of time to book an appointment. Or call the national Coronavirus Health Information Line for advice on 1800 020 080. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 000.
To keep up to date with the latest information, please visit the Department of Health website.
Feature image: Getty.
