Schools would be closed and mass public gatherings would be banned if the coronavirus escalated into a pandemic, infectious diseases experts say.
Instead of commuting, Australians would also be made to work from home.
Hospitals would also struggle to cope with an influx of patients – with modelling predicting a massive shortfall of ‘coronavirus beds’.
In a worst-case scenario, Professor Raina MacIntyre – the head of biosecurity at the University of New South Wales Kirby Institute – said that mass gatherings like sporting events and concerts would be banned as children stayed home from school.
Schools would be closed and mass public gatherings would be banned if the coronavirus escalated into a pandemic, infectious diseases experts say
‘Closure of schools will be standard measures but may be implemented differently in different states,’ she told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday.
Health Minister Greg Hunt has flagged the possible cancellation of sporting events like AFL and rugby league games.
‘The possibility is always there, but that is a last resort,’ he told reporters.
Offices would also be empty, with the federal government’s pandemic plan recommending workplace closures.
‘Businesses should start planning working from home arrangements,’ Professor MacIntyre said.
The infectious diseases researcher also feared hospitals would be overwhelmed, forcing the postponement of elective surgery and an expansion of intensive care units.
She has released modelling showing tens of thousands of intensive care beds would be needed to cope.
Professor Raina MacIntyre, the head of biosecurity at the University of New South Wales Kirby Institute, said that in a worst-case scenario, mass gatherings like sporting events and concerts would be banned as children stayed home from school
Professor Raina MacIntyre, the head of biosecurity at the University of New South Wales Kirby Institute has also released modelling showing a massive shortfall in ‘coronavirus beds’
‘The health system would need surge capacity, and fallback plans if needs cannot be met with existing beds and resources,’ Professor MacIntyre said.
‘If hospital beds run short, asking people with mild infection to stay home would be reasonable.
‘We would likely see elective surgery delayed or rescheduled and reprioritisation of acute care.’
Health authorities in every state are on high alert after the American Centres for Disease Control and Prevention warned coronavirus was worse than first feared.
‘Current global circumstances suggest it’s likely this virus will cause a pandemic,’ the government agency’s principal deputy director Dr Anne Schuchat told reporters on Tuesday night.
Should a pandemic occur, Australia’s federal Department of Health warned hospitals were likely to be overrun.
‘Demand on primary health care will also increase, exacerbated by the need to attend to patients affected by the changes in availability of services at hospitals,’ it said last year in its Management Plan for Pandemic Influenza.
A coronavirus pandemic would also require measures to prevent diseases outbreaks in aged care homes and prisons.
Health Minister Greg Hunt has flagged the possible cancellation of sporting events, like AFL and rugby league games. Pictured are AFL Hawthorn Hawks supporters in Melbourne
Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has infected 80,000 worldwide since it originated in December at an animal market in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
This includes 23 people now in Australia, as of Wednesday.
Then there are another seven Australians who were flown from the Diamond Princess cruise ship at Yokohama in Japan to a quarantine centre near Darwin, where they tested positive.
Coronavirus has killed more than 2,600 people globally and can cause severe lung damage and trigger multiple organ failure, particularly among the elderly or frail.
Australia is still in the containment stage of coronavirus, with most cases of contagion still occurring in China.
Professor Sharon Lewin, the director of the University of Melbourne’s Doherty Institute, said a pandemic occurred when ‘there’s sustained human-to-human transmission in multiple countries’.
Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has infected 80,000 worldwide since it originated in December at an animal market in the Chinese city of Wuhan. This includes 23 people now in Australia, as of Wednesday.