I genuinely donât think WA will hit 90%, the dose rates are so slow and have already dropped before theyâve even hit 80%.
Really feel for separated families etc.
WA will definitely be left behind with that plan, say good bye to summer sport too.
I guess it doesnât matter. They have made a commitment to a date whether 90% is hit or not.
They canât have it both ways. Mark McGowan is an idiot. He should open the state now. Not into the future .
WA hosted AFL matches all year including the grand final. Other events were held without issue as well.
WA isnât ready yet - especially the remote regions. Anyone who says open now is just being selfish.
People wanted a plan. Now they have one and it follows everything that has been said so far. Nothing from todayâs announcement is a surprise.
Not when the vaccination rate is one of the lowest in the country.
Having said that, unless if WA does a major vaccination drive like NSW and Victoria (without any outbreaks) it will be quite a while before they get to 90%. Itâs to be safe I understand but theyâll need to do something to get there quickly otherwise theyâll be left further behind compared to the rest of the country.
I think they need to go all out and open vaccination hubs across the whole state in addition to the ones they have right now, do lotteries and more to get people vaccinated. Many in WA are probably thinking itâs not too urgent to get it because theyâre safe but this is literally their best chance to be armed and ready for reopening so theyâre going to need a push along for this.
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I agree. They are not giving people in WA the motivation to go and get it which is the reason their vaccination rates are much lower than anywhere else. 90% is also definitely going to be a hard push in states that have not had a major outbreak.
What also doesnât make sense in this whole plan is that we are now at the peak few months of vaccine effectiveness. By the time that WA open up a lot of peoples protection will be slightly lower and they will be requiring booster shots already. It doesnât make sense.
I assume this also means that if even just a case pops up in WA between now and Feb it could lead to a lockdown. There is a far greater chance of that happening as the rest of Australia opens and there is more COVID in the country, so itâs likely to happen at some point.
I know that there has been strong support in WA for Markâs stance up until now but I suspect a lot of that support will begin to dwindle as they see the other states moving on, people travelling overseas etc. Mark could definitely be doing a lot more to speed up this rollout if he wanted too.
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I admit I want to come home from the Uk , asap so Iâm not denying with that comment that Iâm selfish to want to come home but I havenât got any compassionate grounds to do so. However Mark McGowan is being selfish in keeping the state locked down further. They have been without a covid case for a long time not and heâs taking away peoples right to visit W.A and people from W.A to travel interstate for pure selfish reasons. Not thinking of thr country but thinking of his own gratification for the need to dictate other states and to keep wa under cotton wool and baby like prison.
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There would be no need for a lock down if he had an actual plan that makes sense. This does not make sense for the state or my people. Only for his gratification.
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Iâm in the US and I want to visit my family in WA too. I havenât seen them for almost 4 years. But I wouldnât have people die just so I can visit. No thanks. A few more months is fine.
We chose to be in other countries. This is what happens during a pandemic.
True I canât argue with that but im
Sure I will be home soon enough . Anyway thanks for the spirited discussion im glad you could hear my side of things.
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I agree it sucks but I donât see why McGowan gets all this hate.
Look at what happened in NSW and Victoria. None of that happened in WA. Our families were kept safe. What more could we ask for? All of my family are alive and well. Compare to that to my wife who has lost a few family members since this started because America let it run wild.
As far as I am concerned McGowan has done a terrific job. A few more months isnât much. But thatâs just my opinion.
This concerns me too but weâre still learning about that.
Boosters only just started here in the US but case numbers where I am have been falling even before the boosters were approved. Any protection is better than none.
Already done and I suspect the modelling for those in these industries that are still unvaxxed gives some confidence that 90% will be reached, but the deadlines are 31 Nov / 31 Dec for first doses. Probably should have been a month earlier.
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Mark McGowan is a joke. Keeping families separated for Christmas. Not to mention forgetting about the national plan of 80%. Canât believe WA voted this guy back in.
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I gotta HARD disagree with this.
We are at the stage of the pandemic with effective vaccines and effective treatments that there is no reason why McGowan should be making family reunifications and compassionate entries with appropriate measures in place (double vax, quarantine, test pre departure etc) so difficult.
His response is disproportionate it is as simple as that.
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Heâs doing what they want. Why wouldnât they have voted him in?
Everyone outside WA can have their opinions but ultimately they are irrelevant. WA is getting what WA wants. Time will tell if they continue to support him after this but right now he is on solid ground.
It is clear to me that many people here do not understand WA at all.
Edit: Does anyone have any recent poll numbers? I would love to know where the support is right now. I canât imagine it has changed much.
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https://www.tiktok.com/@mark_mcgowan_mp/video/7026686533998546177
I enjoyed this. A Premier doing a Bunnings ad. At least heâs getting the message out there.
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I can definitely see and understand how Markâs proudly parochial messaging has resonated well with the WA public. That it has done so to such an extent, however, could be seen as a poor reflection on the attitude of the WA public (especially in regard to the matter of interstate relations).
I do find it interesting that the key reasonings provided for this delay are the state of the health system and slow vaccine rollout. Mark seems to be getting a free pass (given that vaccine supply is not an issue anymore) given these are both things that are very much his governmentâs responsibility (especially the health system), Iâve no doubt any other premier would be crucified by the voting public in the same situation.
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So itâs politics âdoing what people wantâ - to appease voters.
Heâs not doing what is right.
With vaccination the mortality rate for covid is reduced to that of flu.
Yes there will be deaths. Just like there is flu deaths.
But has WA ever required 90% vaccination for flu for âopeningâ to be considered âsafeâ
This is not about health anymore. Itâs about politics and as you say doing what people want.
People want this as they have been sufficiently terrorized to be scared to death of Covid
If youâre vaccinated the risk is essentially the same as flu.
The fear has been created by the media and governments and it plays right into Mark and Annaâs hands winning the next election.
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