The New South Wales government has said it will no longer publish the vaccination status of individuals who are hospitalised or die from COVID-19.
Former Federal Liberal MP Craig Kelly slammed the move, describing it as a “cover-up” intended to hide the fact that there are currently no unvaccinated patients hospitalised with COVID.
At the end of 2022, the state government’s report revealed that more than 1,400 people who had received two vaccines or more were hospitalised with COVID-19. The majority of those (810), received four or more doses. There were no unvaccinated people hospitalised with the virus.
Of those hospitalised, 104 people who had received two doses or more were admitted to ICU.
The same report recorded 81 Covid-related deaths among those with two doses or more and six deaths among those listed as unvaccinated. These deaths were mostly in people 70 years and older.
Despite the militant vaccine rollout in Australia, Covid deaths in aged care homes have progressively increased since October, surpassing 100 deaths every week.
The Guardian reported that there are presently 3,949 cases among aged care residents and 1,661 staff cases associated with the current 738 outbreaks now active in residential aged care facilities.
“The total number of Covid-related deaths reported by aged care providers during the pandemic has now risen to 4,612,” the report said.
“That’s an increase of 120 reported deaths in the past seven days, the data shows.”
According to The Guardian, “the fourth dose vaccine rates are currently at more than 83% for the eligible aged care population and the government is continuing to prioritise anti-virals and vaccines for older Australians.”
The reports from NSW Health are intended to “provide an understanding of what is happening in the community.” The data is collected “for surveillance purposes and are indicative of trends” and the relationship “between vaccination and outcomes.”
