Bill Bowtell offers blunt message to those hoping for ‘magic’ vaccination effect

One of Australia’s leading voices during the COVID-19 pandemic has offered a very transparent (and a little disheartening) message to those who think the world will snap back to ‘normal’ once a majority of people are vaccinated.

Adjunct Professor Bill Bowtell, Strategic Health Policy Consultant from the University of New South Wales, told Tom Elliott there was no “magic” number that would keep the community safe from COVID-19.

Tom Elliott is concerned about the future of next summer’s Australian Open, given the vaccination rate is a major reason the Formula 1 Grand Prix and MotoGP aren’t going ahead later this year.

“There is no way in the world that on the present roll-out or anything remotely (near it) that we could achieve all Australians – 75, 80 per cent of Australians – being vaccinated by the end of the year,” Adjunct Professor Bowtell said on 3AW Drive.

Tom Elliott asked the professor what that meant for the future of big events and travel, given Australia’s strict quarantine measures.

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I don’t think we’re going back any time soon to the world we left behind in January 2020,” Adjunct Professor Bowtell said.

“I understand why people want to believe that this is going to be out of the way, but vaccines aren’t cures.

“Vaccines are a big help, but they aren’t the answer to obliterating COVID.”

Adjunct Professor Bowtell, currently in lockdown in Sydney, expressed frustration at how the NSW government had handled the latest outbreak.

He said NSW should have learned from what Victoria “did right” when handling the Delta variant earlier this year.

“The gold standard with Delta was Victoria,” he said.

Press PLAY below to hear what Professor Bowtell had to say

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