Australia’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Professor Paul Kelly addresses Australia just after Biosecuity Emergency announcement, to make some key remarks, which were repeated often throughout the coming months.

Curiously he opened with the slipped comment “COVID epidemic, or pandemic”.

He provided 5 practical steps to help stay safe:

  1. Wash hands
  2. Cough into elbow
  3. Don’t touch your face
  4. Socially distance 1.5m when possible
  5. Stay home if you feel sick

other key statements:

  • “very fearful moment for Australians”.
  • “We’re all in this together”
  • “We are not closing schools”
  • The goal is “to flatten the curve, to save lives through saving beds and taking the pressure off our healthcare system.”
  • “…very few kids get the illness. Those that get the illness are mainly mild, they don’t appear to be transmitting between children – in fact, it’s more likely that children will get it from their own parents and other people in their households”
  • regarding panic buying: “please do not buy more than you need for anything.”
  • “We have a very good system of knowing about medicine shortages in Australia”
  • “about 80 per cent of patients have a mild illness and in children it’s almost all children have a mild illness.”
  • “every person that gets this virus will have a different reaction to it.”
  • At this stage toilet paper and hand sanitiser supplies in Australia are running short – people were bulk (panic) buying.
  • “…the head of the World Health Organization made that statement in recent days about test, test, test and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”
  • “We’re still on that trajectory to the best way to decrease this curve of infection is to find people that are sick, isolate them, and identify their contacts, close contacts, and isolate them.” [so “sick” means a positive test]
  • further measures “…people coming back from overseas and 14 days quarantine… isolating, decreasing the infection that way”
  • “…at the moment we’re really focusing that testing on where we think the most likely positives are.”
  • “We [AHPPC] recommended there should be limitations on mass gatherings”
  • ” four square metres per person”
  • “We deliberately over-ordered flu vaccine this year”
  • To date: “We’ve had those six deaths unfortunately, all in older people. We’ve had some people in ICU, but it’s a very small number.”
  • “…almost all of our cases still have come from overseas.”
  • “…in the meantime, we’re looking to find our cases, get them to stay at home, to find their contacts, get them to stay at home, and to flatten the curve.