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Katie Woolf spoke with Australian Medical Association NT President Dr Robert Parker · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: Joining us on the line right now the Australian Medical
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  Speaker 1: Association's Northern Territory branch, Dr Robert Parker. Good morning to you, Robert.
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  Speaker 1: We're just having a bit of a technical issue there.
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  Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Dr Parker.
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  Speaker 2: Can you hear me?
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  Speaker 3: Morning morning, Katie. I can hear you. Can you hear me?
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  Speaker 2: I can hear you?
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  Speaker 1: Now, I think it was a technical issue from me,
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  Speaker 1: Dr Parker. Now, there's a lot of discussion at the
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  Speaker 1: moment around Australia, and there has been for quite some
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  Speaker 1: time about the vaccine rollout. I know there was information
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  Speaker 1: flow through late last week from the Dougherty Institute suggesting
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  Speaker 1: that once we get to eighty percent vaccination rate around
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  Speaker 1: Australia that we should be able to open up a
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  Speaker 1: little bit more freely.
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  Speaker 2: Dr Parker. What was your reaction when you'd sort of
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  Speaker 2: seen that news.
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  Speaker 3: Well, great, I mean obviously the high the vaccination rate,
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  Speaker 3: better the outcome for all Australians. So now very supportive
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  Speaker 3: of that idea.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, it does sound as though it would be a
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  Speaker 1: good thing, and we know that the impact on business
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  Speaker 1: and tourism as we have these lockdowns is massive, but
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  Speaker 1: it is something that's still really required at this point,
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  Speaker 1: isn't it in terms of making sure we keep Australian safe.
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  Speaker 3: We'll go to you again the stats. Unfortunately, this current
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  Speaker 3: epidemic in the Southern States, you know, New South Wales
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  Speaker 3: has been pretty much in lockdown and all the economic
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  Speaker 3: issues about now Queensland and you know, a couple of
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  Speaker 3: weeks ago we had half of Australia in lockdown. You know,
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  Speaker 3: it just shows you how tenacious this delda there it
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  Speaker 3: is and the massive disruption it can occur. You know,
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  Speaker 3: it's so incredibly sad that quantitants have to stand down
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  Speaker 3: two and a half thousand people. But I suppose it
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  Speaker 3: hasn't been the work with people canceling flights and whatever.
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  Speaker 3: So it has a major economic flow through and Australia
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  Speaker 3: has taken the stance that health is, you know, health
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  Speaker 3: is a priority, rather than you know, keeping the economy
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  Speaker 3: open and allowing the virus to go in Sweden, so
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  Speaker 3: you know, and I think it's been a very sensible
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  Speaker 3: process because again you know a number of people have
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  Speaker 3: died in Sydney. It's having a major impact on hospital
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  Speaker 3: beds with a whole bunch of people having to be
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  Speaker 3: even at the hospital. So it's you know, control of
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  Speaker 3: virus and obviously the way to control it is through
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  Speaker 3: vaccination and having the largest proportion of the population vaccinated.
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  Speaker 1: Well, we did just hear from the Health Minister Natasha
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  Speaker 1: Files a little earlier. She said ninety thousand Territorians now
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  Speaker 1: have had their first dose of the vaccine and that
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  Speaker 1: that forty five percent to fully sorry, I think it
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  Speaker 1: was about forty five percent are vaccinated.
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  Speaker 2: I mean it's something.
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  Speaker 1: That we seem to be quite good at here in
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  Speaker 1: the territory at the moment in terms of going out
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  Speaker 1: and actually getting the jab.
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  Speaker 3: Well, good on the Health Department for its vaccine role
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  Speaker 3: out strategy, and good on Territorians for being so enthusiastic
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  Speaker 3: they have the vaccine. No, it's a feather in the
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  Speaker 3: capital of the Northern Territory that we're ahead the head
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  Speaker 3: of the rest of the country in terms of a
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  Speaker 3: portion of people vaccinated.
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  Speaker 2: And doctor Parker, how are you feeling at this point
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  Speaker 2: in time?
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  Speaker 1: I guess from that medical perspective, as I said, I know,
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  Speaker 1: a lot of us or a lot of people are
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  Speaker 1: concerned about the impact of COVID on business and on
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  Speaker 1: the tourism industry.
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  Speaker 2: Et cetera here in the territory.
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  Speaker 1: But how are you feeling at the moment when it
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  Speaker 1: comes to the way in which we're managing the lockdowns
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  Speaker 1: in other states and the hot spots here in the territory.
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  Speaker 3: Well, now, good on the territory again, I think that,
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  Speaker 3: you know, the when I go to work every morning,
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  Speaker 3: I've I've got to be checked for COVID issues before
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  Speaker 3: I enter the hospital. I gather that doesn't occur in
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  Speaker 3: other parts of Australia. So the territory, you know, is
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  Speaker 3: I think been very proactive in terms of its responsibilities
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  Speaker 3: towards the territory population, trying to keep them save.
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  Speaker 1: Now, what is the what's the AMA's perspective at the
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  Speaker 1: moment nationally when it comes to the vaccine. I know
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  Speaker 1: that there had been some talk that we may indeed
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  Speaker 1: need booster shots, but from what I can gather, there
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  Speaker 1: hasn't sort of been any specific medical advice at the moment.
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  Speaker 1: Do you do you have you know, do you sort
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  Speaker 1: of have much further info in that space?
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  Speaker 3: I don't at the moment, Katie. I mean, it looks
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  Speaker 3: like for the Della Bearian and the evidence coming out,
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  Speaker 3: we probably will need to boost a shot that if
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  Speaker 3: that's the case, we just need to do it. I mean,
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  Speaker 3: this virus is obviously evolving. The evidence is evolving. I
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  Speaker 3: mean there's new data out of Israel, there's data out
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  Speaker 3: of Massachusetts in terms of me of the COVID virus
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  Speaker 3: and its effect and partition, you know, on people with
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  Speaker 3: already vaccinated. Yeah, so it appears like we're living. You know,
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  Speaker 3: viruses and bacteria been on the planet a lot longer
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  Speaker 3: than we have, and they evolved very quickly, quite often,
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  Speaker 3: so we have to be in the race with them.
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  Speaker 1: Look, I don't have a big problem if I've got
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  Speaker 1: to get a booster. I know that some people are
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  Speaker 1: still feeling concerned and still have that hesitancy even when
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  Speaker 1: it comes to getting the vaccine in the first place,
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  Speaker 1: from the advice that you're sort of well from the
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  Speaker 1: I guess the feedback that you've been receiving from members
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  Speaker 1: of the AMA.
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  Speaker 2: Has there been.
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  Speaker 1: Many people come forward in the territory with side of
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  Speaker 1: fix after getting the vaccine.
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  Speaker 3: I think there was one or one potential that I'm
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  Speaker 3: aware of, and I hope again, I think it was
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  Speaker 3: a non fatal outcome, which is really good. Yeah, but
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  Speaker 3: it's again, this is an incredibly rare side effect, as
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  Speaker 3: it was pointed out by someone, the effect of you know,
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  Speaker 3: people on aspirin, by being one of them, have a
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  Speaker 3: much greater risk of dying than people with with with
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  Speaker 3: the AZ vaccine. It's just an incredibly small risk. I
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  Speaker 3: suppose there's lots of publicity about a publicity in gender sphere,
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  Speaker 3: and people have a right to be concerned and also informed,
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  Speaker 3: which again comes back to the discussion with your GP
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  Speaker 3: about and benefits of a vaccine. So you know that
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  Speaker 3: it is a very very small risk of the as vaccine.
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  Speaker 3: It is a real risk, obviously, but at the same time,
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  Speaker 3: you know there's the there's the whole issue of the
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  Speaker 3: population benefit of everyone being vaccinated and borders being opened. Again,
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  Speaker 3: has it.
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  Speaker 1: Been much in the way when you talk about those
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  Speaker 1: more minor side effects. Have there been many people getting
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  Speaker 1: in contact with their medical professionals about some of those
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  Speaker 1: sort of side effects or are most people just experiencing
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  Speaker 1: what we'd anticipate, cold like symptoms or flu like symptoms,
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  Speaker 1: and you know some with the heavy arm and that
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  Speaker 1: kind of thing.
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  Speaker 3: Again, I think most of us, most of the side
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  Speaker 3: effects are reasonably insignificant. You don't really need to turn
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  Speaker 3: up to a GP for them. I mean, in my case,
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  Speaker 3: I had some muscle achs and phones. I had receiver
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  Speaker 3: for a couple of days. I ago the headache and
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  Speaker 3: that was about it, and I got through it and
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  Speaker 3: moved on. I didn't need to sue see a GP.
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  Speaker 3: Other people had nausea, you know, So it's I think
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  Speaker 3: it's most of the people have sort of moved through
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  Speaker 3: it with the side effects and just moved on. I'm
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  Speaker 3: not aware of people. But again, your GP is the
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  Speaker 3: best person, best place to discuss those issues.
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  Speaker 2: Hey, doctor Parker.
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  Speaker 1: Obviously, nationally, the Federal Labor Party is proposing a three
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  Speaker 1: hundred dollars incentive for Aussies to get vaccinated.
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  Speaker 2: Do you think we need to look at.
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  Speaker 1: Incentivizing the vaccine or do you think that we are
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  Speaker 1: going to see a pretty.
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  Speaker 2: Go take up.
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  Speaker 3: Well, again, I would hope that most sensible Australians would
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  Speaker 3: look at the benefits of themselves, the families and Australia
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  Speaker 3: generally they're having the vaccine without additional incentives. But I
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  Speaker 3: suppose you've got to do what you've got to do.
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  Speaker 3: I think you'd have to look at what's happening overseas
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  Speaker 3: in terms of the benefit. I mean, there have been
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  Speaker 3: a lot of reason whatever in the US, and you
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  Speaker 3: have to look at if they were effective and improving
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  Speaker 3: vaccination rates. But you would think the daily news coming
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  Speaker 3: out of Sydney regularly, Brisbane, you know, Melbourne and Adelaide
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  Speaker 3: in the last couple of weeks wouldn't make most people think, jeez,
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  Speaker 3: I need a vaccine. Otherwise, you know, that's all ahead
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  Speaker 3: of us, So you think people would be aware of
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  Speaker 3: that information and be quite kendic ge vaccinated so it
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  Speaker 3: doesn't happen to them.
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  Speaker 1: Well, there's plenty of people getting in contact with us
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  Speaker 1: this morning just saying just get the jab, you know,
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  Speaker 1: do what's right for the rest of for the rest
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  Speaker 1: of the nation and for the rest of the territory.
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  Speaker 1: But I know, as I said earlier, I know there
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  Speaker 1: is still some of that hesitancy in the community. But
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  Speaker 1: I reckon that advice that you've given, you know, getting
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  Speaker 1: on tach with your GP, have a discussion if you worried,
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  Speaker 1: that is the best best way to do it. Don't
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  Speaker 1: don't sort of rely on Facebook and social media for
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  Speaker 1: your information around the vaccine.
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  Speaker 3: That's right. Your GP is the best informed person to
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  Speaker 3: give you the pros and cons of the vaccine.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, doctor Robert Parker, we always appreciate your time.
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  Speaker 2: I know you're a busy man. Thank you very much
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  Speaker 2: for chatting with us today.
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  Speaker 3: Always good to talk Katie.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you. That is doctor Robert Parker.
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  Speaker 1: There are the head of the Australian Medical Association here
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  Speaker 1: in the Northern Territory.