14 July 2022

The Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) is encouraging the community to take sensible precautions to protect their health and to reduce transmission of COVID-19 following a rise in positive COVID-19 cases driven by the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants.

The RACP supports the current advice from the AHPPC for the public to increase their personal protections from COVID-19.

RACP President Dr Jacqueline Small says, “There are effective actions everyone can take to reduce transmission of COVID-19 and protect yourself and the community.” These include:

• Staying up to date with your vaccinations

• The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation recommends that adults aged 50 to 64 years receive a winter booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine
• Adults aged 30 to 49 years can also now receive a winter booster dose
• Wearing a mask outside your home when in crowded, indoor environments including on public transport.  N95 and P2 masks provide the best protection from COVID-19 transmission, compared with surgical and cloth masks.
• Ensuring indoor spaces are well ventilated
• Staying home if you have any COVID-19 symptoms, no matter how mild, and get tested
  • If you have any symptoms, are at higher risk of severe illness and have a negative Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) result, seek a PCR test to confirm whether or not you have COVID-19 so you can access oral treatments for COVID-19 if eligible.
• Not attending high-risk settings such as health care (unless seeking treatment), aged care and disability settings or correctional facilities if you have any symptoms of COVID-19, no matter how mild

• Employers should review their occupational health and safety risks and mitigations, and their business continuity plans.  They should consider the feasibility of some employees working from home and support employees to take leave when sick.

• Practising good respiratory and hand hygiene
• Staying up to date with jurisdictional public health requirements and information