Former deputy chief medical officer Nick Coatsworth says omicron variant of Covid is ‘clearly not’ more dangerous than the flu.
Dr Coatsworth said people without pre-existing medical conditions had little to fear from the milder strain once vaccinated and most wouldn’t need booster shots.
Former deputy chief medical officer Nick Coatsworth says the omicron variant of Covid is ‘clearly not’ more dangerous than the flu
‘No, it’s not. It’s clearly not,’ he told Sky News when asked if Omicron was more dangerous than seasonal flu.
Dr Coatsworth claimed Covid booster shots were only necessary for vulnerable or elderly Australians and those with chronic illnesses.
‘Young, fit, healthy adults and kids, their risk was so low anyway that if you take it from 0.007 to 0.001 per cent – I’m using those numbers to demonstrate the effect, I’d have to get the actual numbers for you,’ he said.
‘So, for the booster perspective, from the disease perspective, this is an illness that will very rarely cause harm to young, fit, healthy adults and kids,’ he said.
He has also slammed public health and political leaders for perpetuating fears about Covid.
In a message posted to Twitter last week, Dr Coatsworth wrote: ‘It’s time. #UnmaskOurKids.
After sending the message, Dr Coatsworth faced an onslaught of support from parents calling for the mask mandates to end.
However, he also faced criticism from several trolls who claimed he was ‘misinformed.’
One wrote: ‘Nick, is this your idea of an April Fool’s Day prank or are you once again unmasking how little you care about vulnerable people (including children)?’
But Dr Coatsworth quickly fired back with a brutal message for political and public health leaders: ‘I forgive the abusers in the comments section,’ he wrote.
‘Who I don’t forgive is the leaders, both political and public health, that perpetuate the level of COVID fear that leads to this level of discourse. The community has a right to an accurate representation of risk.’
While almost all mask rules were scrapped for adults at the beginning of March, primary school kids in Grades 3 to 6 are still forced to wear masks while at school in Victoria.
Prof Coatsworth said children are not at risk of becoming seriously ill themselves from Covid-19.
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