Mr Andrews said the Burnet Institute modelling – used to inform the state’s decision-making – made for “sobering reading”, suggesting that hospital admissions would peak at about 3150 towards the end of December and deaths due to COVID-19 would peak at about 2200 in January. “This is a very difficult balancing act.” And at that point we have got to open the place up, because remaining closed forever has its own cost in every sense of that word,” he added.
“We are fast approaching those milestones. Lockdowns have been about buying time to get to 70 and 80 per cent vaccination,” Mr Andrews said. “We cannot perennially or permanently suppress this virus.
