As a parting gift, 2021 gifted the world Omicron – great. The Australian government seems to have been on the back foot at every stage with this (not unexpected) development of the pandemic… But did any other country get their response to Omicron right? To see how Australia’s Omicron response compares to other countries, we’re looking at different parts of the world including Austria, Hong Kong, Israel and the UK.
Just as with our re-opening plan, there are insights and lessons to learn from decisions made around the world. The biggest takeaway is that if getting out of this third wave demands widespread access to testing. That, combined with high vaccination rates and keeping mask requirements in place, looks like the surest path out of the pandemic as safely as possible.
Australia
Omicron Response Strategy in a Nutshell: Australia has moved from a zero-covid case strategy to some version of a ‘let it rip’ plan. We’ve surpassed vaccine targets, with 92% of the over-16 population having received two vaccine doses and around 77% of the overall population receiving two doses of the vaccine at the time of writing. This allowed lockdowns to be ceased and the opening of both internal and international borders (even WA will accept domestic arrivals from February 5). Prime Minister Scott Morrison insists it is now possible to “live with this virus.”
But the record-breaking number of Omicron infections prompted two significant changes to how Australia handles testing and tracing:
- You’re only considered a close contact if you have spent more than four hours with a confirmed case in a house, accommodation, care facility or similar;
- To reduce the burden no PCR testing clinics, close contacts can use at-home Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) to check their status. Positive RAT results must be reported to the State health departments.
Impact of The Strategy: We don’t need to tell you about the chaos that followed. Case numbers have jumped significantly, as well as deaths increasing from around 10 per day in December to more than 50 per day nationwide. PCR testing became basically inaccessible, which in-turn created a RAT shortage – not only did it become very difficult to even figure out if you have COVID-19, but the daily data became incredibly unreliable.
This has brought the nation to a strange stand-still that sometimes makes it feel like 2020 all over again. Workers in every industry, including essential workers, have had to take time off either because they are sick or isolating. That has knocked on to supply chains, with supermarkets short of certain products. Staff shortages have hit the health sector so hard, COVID-positive asymptomatic nurses are being asked to still work and 100,000 workers from the private health system are being brought in to fill gaps.
Experts, including Professor Alexandra Martiniuk, an epidemiologist at the University of Sydney, put it down to the timing of easing restrictions – and refusing to adapt that plan. She told NBC News: “[Some states and territories] really got down to very few restrictions, just as there was the emergence of omicron. We should have changed our plan when we saw Omicron arrive. … We barged straight into a dark room without knowing what was in there.”
Israel
Omicron Response Strategy in a Nutshell: Israel was one of the leaders when it came to the initial vaccine roll out, and it is once again relying on this approach in the face of Omicron. It was the first country to broadly offer a fourth shot to counter the Omicron wave – initially, only the immunocompromised were to receive an additional booster, but now people over 60 and medical staff are eligible too.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett also implemented travel bans at the end of 2021 (stopping travel to and from the US, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Hungary, Morocco, Portugal, Canada, Switzerland and Turkey). It was recently lifted in early January, and requirements to enter Israel include being vaccinated and showing a negative COVID-19 result.
Impact of The Strategy: Israel has so far only reported one death due to Omicron. However, they are still seeing large case numbers within a small population of 9 million.
A week into a fourth dose trial at a major Israeli hospital, researchers saw participants’ antibody levels increase five-fold. However, initial reports suggest that it’s not enough to combat the huge increase in case numbers – part of the problem with Omicron is any reduction in severity is negated by apparently increased transmissibility. On top of that, 2.8 million people (31%) in Israel have still not received any COVID-19 vaccinations at all.
The travel ban was able to delay the surge of Omicron and prepare health facilities, however it is predicted that the lifting of the ban will see cases double in the next month. For now we’ll just have to wait and see.
United Kingdom
Omicron Response Strategy in a Nutshell: Late last year, the UK pushed an accelerated campaign to give a third Covid-19 vaccine dose to all eligible adults by the end of December in order to vaccinate itself out of the crisis. Because of this, Boris Johnson insists the UK can “ride out” the current wave of Covid-19 without further restrictions (sound familiar?) He has also announced plans for 100,000 critical workers to take daily tests. This testing regime is for essential industries including food processing, transport and the border force, in order to reduce the spread of the virus to colleagues.
In terms of testing, the UK government has mailed free RATs to people’s homes since April 2021. The tests are provided by the National Health Service, the UK’s equivalent of Medicare. The tests are also available from pharmacies, online and at community collection points such as libraries. People are also advised to get tested twice a week at their school, college or nursery.
Impact of The Strategy: According to the UK Health Security Agency, 1 in 15 people (6%) in England had COVID-19 over the Christmas period – about five times the rate in Australia. The booster program was initially very successful, with almost 60% of over-12s having now received a booster or third dose in the UK. However, there is now a steep downfall in interest with data showing that the number of people getting boosted in the UK fell to just over 100,000 in one day (compared with daily rates of more than 900,000 before Christmas).
But there is some good news – COVID-19 hospitalizations in England have definitely started falling. CEO of the NHS, Matthew Taylor says: “Unless things change unexpectedly, we are close to the national peak of COVID patients in hospitals.”
Austria
Omicron Response Strategy in a Nutshell: In November, Austria enforced a national lockdown for three weeks to break the surge in COVID-19 cases. Most regions only apply the measures to unvaccinated people, who were only allowed to leave the house for essential activities like grocery shopping or doctor’s visits.
The government had also introduced new restrictions, like mandating FFP2-masks outdoors, but they have already relaxed some of these as Omicron is less dangerous than previous variants. They have also reduced quarantine times for the same reason – even those who test positive can end their quarantine after five days if they show a negative test.
People also have access to free RATs at around 900 pharmacies throughout the country. Austrians additionally have access to free PCR “gargle” mouthwash tests, which can be collected from testing centres for home use and later dropped off at a collection point for processing.
Impact of The Strategy: The short lockdown in November was successful in helping break the initial surge of cases, however this year there has been a spike with new daily infections rising above 17,000 for the first time last week. The previous peak was 15,809 on 19 November. Government officials want to avoid another lockdown, but have not ruled it out completely if case numbers continue to rise. On a positive note though, hospitalisations have decreased significantly from 3000 to 650 over the last two weeks and access to tests has allowed for confirmation in data.
Hong Kong
Omicron Response Strategy in a Nutshell: Hong Kong has followed a strict Covid-zero stance. Authorities have banned flights from eight countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, doubling down on border restrictions. The government has also re-imposed strict social distancing rules, including forcing bars and gyms to close and banning restaurant dining after 6 pm.
People travelling to Hong Kong must observe 21 days of hotel quarantine. For residents of Hong Kong the minimum isolation period for anyone who tests positive for Covid-19, even if they are asymptomatic, is nearly a month. They must stay in the hospital for at least 10 days and are not allowed to leave until they test negative twice in succession.
Impact of The Strategy: The Covid-zero strategy actually had a negative impact on vaccination numbers. Hong Kong was able to enjoy seven months of virus-free life in 2021, which decreased interest in vaccinations. Many deemed vaccinations unnecessary, unable to see what was to come. Only 63% of Hong Kong’s eligible population had received two doses at the time of writing. Alarmingly, only 23% of the over-80 population has taken a first dose, due in part to misinformation.
While cases seem to be doubling every week, they are are still in the low hundreds. And although this isolation strategy will have an impact on containing case numbers, it will leave a lasting effect on the country’s economy. According to Michael Li, Vice Honorary Secretary of the Hong Kong Chinese Importers Association, the restriction on imports and travel will cause a spike in retail prices – after all, Hong Kong is a major shipping port.
