NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant has called for a 'common sense' approach as NSW heads for its third Omicron wave of COVID-19 and has urged Port Stephens residents to wear face masks in public indoor spaces and ensure they are up to date with vaccinations.
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The warning comes as the current wave of infections, driven by the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants, continues to grow.
According to NSW government data, 56 per cent (1,232) of COVID-related deaths this year were in people who have had two or fewer doses.
"Unless we pull together as one again, this new wave will hit schools and businesses hard, just like BA.1 did, which saw thousands of workers absent," Dr Chant said.
If you are fully vaccinated you have 65 per cent greater protection against hospitalisation or death from Omicron than two vaccine doses alone affords, according to data from the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance.
