Australians have been urged to pick up one item before they catch Covid, with a warning ‘many of us’ are going to be infected in coming days.
Australians have been warned many of us will likely test positive to Covid in “coming days” and have been urged to make sure they have paracetamol before becoming infected so they can manage it at home.
It comes as the country reached a major vaccine milestone with more than 44 million doses administered, with 94.7 per cent of people having had their first dose.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said it was “heartening” to see Omicron was milder than previous strains of the disease, pointing to only 76 people who were on ventilation across the country.
Despite a significant increase in new cases Mr Hunt said the strain was “significantly less severe”.
Deputy chief medical officer Michael Kidd said it was likely many Australians would test positive in the coming days and weeks as case numbers continued to surge.
“With the rising case numbers we’ve seen over the past week in many parts of the country, it’s likely that many of us will test positive for Covid-19 over the coming days and weeks if we haven’t already done so,” he said.
He urged people to be prepared for any potential infections by having paracetamol or ibuprofen at hand to manage fevers and mild aches or pains.
“If infected, many will have no symptoms at all, others may have mild symptoms,” Professor Kidd said.
“You‘ll need to drink plenty of fluids which can be water, but you may also benefit from using electrolyte powder or solution.
“It‘s important to be prepared, because you won’t be able to go to your supermarket or pharmacy if you’re diagnosed.
“If you are feeling abnormally weak or tired you may have moderate symptoms and need to seek medical advice.”
Professor Kidd said it was important to protect people who might experience such moderate symptoms along with the elderly or those with chronic health conditions.
“Some might become seriously unwell so that’s why it’s important to prevent transmission in places like homes,” he said.
“We don’t want people to be infected with Covid unnecessarily.”
The warnings come after NSW recorded its deadliest day of the pandemic to date, with 16 deaths reported on Sunday.
The state recorded another 30,062 new Covid-19 cases while Victoria’s cases jumped to 44,155 and four deaths.
Originally published as Aussies urged to get Panadol, Ibuprofen as many to test positive to Covid in ‘coming days’
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