Highlights
- Australia's coronavirus testing rate is amongst the world's highest
- "Positive cases and death rate in Australia is amongst the world's lowest," claims Dr Kapur
- "Australia is well-equipped to handle up to 4 times cases, but not more"
More than 256,000 coronavirus tests have been conducted across the country, as the number of confirmed cases rise to 4,860 in Australia.
Dr Shitij Kapur, the chair of the Group of Eight academic experts panel which presented a crisis-management strategy to Australia's Chief Medical officer says the situation remains fluid and can change rapidly.
“Australia has one of the highest coronavirus testing rates and one of the lowest positive rates in the world. The death rate of these positive cases is also amongst the lowest in the world,” says Dr Kapur.
"The spread of the coronavirus within Australia isn't much. Of the 4,000-plus cases in Australia, most are imported and our domestically-transmitted infection is low, which is comforting," he adds.
Stage-by-stage
Source: Getty Images
He also explains the meaning of the various ‘stages’ in relation to the coronavirus.
“Stage 1, 2, 3 that we learn about from the media these days are the various stages of the public response to the coronavirus. These aren’t the stages the virus is going through. The virus is today what it was at the beginning. It has the same effect on people now as it did when it was discovered,” Dr Kapur says.
But can the Australian government do more to drastically reduce the number of new coronavirus cases?
“There’s no simple answer to this. If you want 100 per cent safety, the only way to get it is to shut down everything. Australia is moving stage-by-stage to curb this problem. So the government is taking the right steps because the transmission is not yet out of control,” says Dr Kapur, who is also the Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Health) at the University of Melbourne.
'India acted hard and fast'
Dr Kapur, who grew up in Chandigarh, the capital of India’s northern state of Punjab and studied medicine in New Delhi, has been keenly watching the total three-week lockdown in India and the curfew in Punjab which preceded the nationwide lockdown.
Commenting on the radical measures adopted in India to fight the coronavirus, Dr Kapur says that the “Indian government is doing everything it can to control the virus.”
“They realise that their ability to control the virus once it gets into the thousands, is very limited. America is good example. It is a country with world-class hospitals. But even there, once the problem got into thousands, couldn’t be controlled,” he says.
Dr Kapur also appreciates that, in his view, “India is throwing its Stage 4 response right at the very start”.
How's Australia doing?
Talking about Australia, Dr Kapur says the country is at present well-equipped to manage the challenge mounted by the coronavirus provided the problem doesn’t go way out of hand.
“As of today, Australia has the equipment to manage the situation if the number of cases quadruples. But if they grow 10 times, no country in the world can handle that magnitude of coronavirus patients,” Dr Kapur warns, emphasising the need for social distancing.
“I would feel comfortable with the situation Australia is in. The government is doing what it can. But the problem won’t be solved until and unless all people do their part. There are many restrictions these days due to which people, especially the Indian community, can’t go to a mandir (Hindu temple) or a gurudwara (Sikh temple). But this is a time of sacrifice,” signs off Dr Kapur.
Victorian government ads on Stage 3 coronavirus-related restrictions as seen in Melbourne CBD. Source: SBS
Listen to the podcast in Punjabi by clicking on the player inside the picture at the top.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others and gatherings are limited to two people unless you are with your family or household.
If you believe you may have contracted the virus, call your doctor (don’t visit) or contact the national Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
If you are struggling to breathe or experiencing a medical emergency, call 000.
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