No concern for safety
My 18-year-old daughter and her partner and every other guest of a local hotel were asked to leave at 9pm on Monday night, with or without their own transport due to the lockdown.
The hotel did not interact with guests and notify them of the lockdown, then go on to warn the guests that if they were not from the Perth-Peel region then perhaps they should leave, they simply evacuated the building at 9pm with no regard for the guests' safe passage home, and telling guests that if they do not leave then they will remain in isolation at the hotel for five days at their expense.
Victoria Nissen, Mandurah
Why is Peel included?
At the time of writing Peel is in lockdown because three COVID cases have come to light in the northern suburbs of Perth. Why is this so? Could it be that our government lacks the resources to lock Perth down? Or is it just easier with little concern for Peel.
The proposed takeover of the Peel hospital by our State Government is a worry given their failure (ineptitude) to sort out the continued problems of Perth hospitals over the last four years . As a past patient at Peel I have nothing but praise.
Still with the government majority they can do what they like with little objection.
Anthony Michell, Wannanup
Vaccination choices
We do have the right to decide about the COVID-19 vaccination, but it is amazing how short community memory is regarding how beneficial vaccinations have been. Between 1900- 980 over 300 million humans died from smallpox. In 1980 the world was declared smallpox free due the use worldwide of the smallpox vaccine. Deaths from the disease stopped. Worldwide vaccinations have also helped control diphtheria, polio, tuberculosis, yellow fever, measles and influenza among several other diseases. The risks of a vaccination when compared to Australia's yearly road accident deaths are miniscule. Prior to the COVID outbreak an average of 800 Australians died from blood clots each year, far more than affected by the COVID vaccination.
Paul Meakin, Erskine (abridged)
Shifting goal posts again
So now younger Australians can request AstraZeneca vaccination as the ATAGI recommendation that they should receive Pfizer is only a preference. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced this change and quoted the ATAGI recommendation as saying that "AstraZeneca is the preferred vaccine for those over 60". Unfortunately, the Prime Minister is not reading the statement by ATAGI correctly. ATAGI states that Pfizer should be the preferred vaccine for those under 60 years. It does not state that AZ is preferred for those over 60. Mr Morrison has admitted what has been obvious for weeks now. If you're under 60, you get a choice of vaccine, if you're over 60, in a high risk group and regardless of medical recommendation or advice, you can only have AZ (or risk waiting until the end of the year with the Delta variant at large in the community).Our GP recommended that my wife should receive Pfizer on medical grounds, writing to the vaccination team at Fiona Stanley Hospital to request she receive a Pfizer shot weeks ago. The request was denied as she does not have one of the few conditions listed that allow exemption. Time, I think, for the government to allow GPs to make recommendations, and for all Australians to have choice of vaccine. Just one more, final, shift please Prime Minister.
Richard Miles, Halls Head
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