VICTORIA’S Chief Health Officer has predicted “everyone” in the state will be infected with COVID-19 when lockdowns end in coming weeks.
Speaking at Wednesday’s COVID press conference, Professor Brett Sutton warned of the danger the virus held for Victorians who remained unvaccinated when restrictions were due to ease.
“I think, over the course of another big year, another two years, absolutely everyone will get it as we open up because we are not going to hold back in terms of how we live our lives and move around when we are a fully vaccinated population,” Prof Sutton said.
“(Being the) fullest vaccinated population we can be – that means there will be widespread transmission of this virus.”
However, Prof Sutton said authorities worked hard to protect people who could not get a vaccine and he was hopeful children would soon be able to get vaccinated.
“We’re going do everything we can to protect those who are not eligible yet for a vaccine and some who won’t be eligible in the longer term,” he said.
“There are good prospects for the TGA approving a vaccine for kids five to 11 years of age, maybe before the end of the year.”
More than 55,000 people in Victoria have had the coronavirus. Of those, more than 20,000 cases were still active.
COVID-19 vaccines including Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZeneca minimise a vaccinated person’s chance of catching coronavirus, or if they do catch it, significantly reduce their chance of becoming seriously ill or dying with the virus.
Prof Sutton’s comments came as 17-year-old Saela, who recently recovered from COVID-19, faced reporters at the press conference, telling of her experience being hospitalised and spending weeks in intensive care on a ventilator before she was eligible to get a vaccine.
“I was so scared I was screaming and I thought I was going to die,” she said.
“I had a tube coming out of my neck.
“I couldn’t move. I couldn’t talk. I was scared to sleep again.
“I just stared at the ceiling and I was alone.”
Saela said she wanted to use the platform to encourage other young people to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
“There are a lot of people my age who think they’re invincible and don’t need the vaccine,” she said.
“They think they are young, they don’t have conditions, they won’t be affected – but COVID almost killed me.”
