Wednesday, 15 May 2024

 Tim READ (Brunswick) (14:52): (646) My constituency question is for the Minister for Health. One of my Brunswick constituents has raised with me the apparent lack of government action, particularly around mask wearing, to address the high mortality resulting from COVID acquired in hospitals. Recently published modelling by the Burnet Institute and by Department of Health staff has shown that testing patients on admission for COVID antigen and requiring staff to wear N95 masks will save between $44 million and $135 million and prevent between 1000 and 2000 deaths. Either intervention alone would save around $50 million and prevent around a thousand deaths. So my constituent would like to know whether the government plans to implement either or both of these cost-saving and life-saving interventions.