1
00:00:01,400 --> 00:00:04,720
Speaker 1: Everyone's freaking out. Obviously new variant coming from South Africa

2
00:00:04,800 --> 00:00:10,520
Speaker 1: have confirmed two cases here in Sydney already Omichron. We're

3
00:00:10,520 --> 00:00:12,640
Speaker 1: trying to work it out. I mean, should we be

4
00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:15,319
Speaker 1: worried about this? We thought we'd get Channel nine's Healthy

5
00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:17,759
Speaker 1: expert on doctor Zach turn It joins us now thanks

6
00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:19,000
Speaker 1: for joining Ustock.

7
00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:21,400
Speaker 2: No worries or thank you for having me happy Monday.

8
00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:21,960
Speaker 1: No worries.

9
00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:24,080
Speaker 3: Doctors that the first question is should we panic?

10
00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:27,880
Speaker 2: Well, I don't think panic is probably the best thing

11
00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:31,640
Speaker 2: to do in any circumstance. Really, I think the biggest

12
00:00:31,640 --> 00:00:34,560
Speaker 2: thing here is that we just want to maintain vigilance

13
00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:37,600
Speaker 2: like we have for a while, and also probably put

14
00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:40,080
Speaker 2: in place a lot of the measures that you know,

15
00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:43,480
Speaker 2: what we've got really good at and governments certainly should

16
00:00:43,479 --> 00:00:46,839
Speaker 2: be on the front board so that we don't have

17
00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:50,120
Speaker 2: to panic, and that we can approach this variant and

18
00:00:51,040 --> 00:00:57,640
Speaker 2: probably future variant in a really kind of articulated and

19
00:00:58,240 --> 00:00:59,360
Speaker 2: coordinated response.

20
00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:03,680
Speaker 4: We're hearing early reports that there aren't many symptoms, that

21
00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:06,679
Speaker 4: it's pretty mild. It's more about how fast it spreads.

22
00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:10,040
Speaker 4: Have you heard anything about what you know symptoms people

23
00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:11,080
Speaker 4: suffering from it would be.

24
00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:15,680
Speaker 2: Feeling lots of the similar one to the other variants.

25
00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:18,360
Speaker 2: I guess one of the things about this and the

26
00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:23,080
Speaker 2: reason why they've kind of classed it is a micronomicron

27
00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:27,240
Speaker 2: is that or actually I've heard a few different variations

28
00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:30,679
Speaker 2: of it today omicrod as well. And I think the

29
00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:34,319
Speaker 2: biggest thing with this is that it's coming from a

30
00:01:34,440 --> 00:01:38,400
Speaker 2: place in South Africa where a god of very young population, right,

31
00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:42,720
Speaker 2: and so lots of the cases so far have been

32
00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:47,480
Speaker 2: quite similar to the other variations that we've had so cough, cold,

33
00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:50,640
Speaker 2: running nose. Interestingly, there hasn't been some of the losses

34
00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:53,720
Speaker 2: smell and things that some of the other variants, And

35
00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:55,920
Speaker 2: what I think the key thing is just to really

36
00:01:55,960 --> 00:01:58,280
Speaker 2: remember that if you aren't feeling well, that you should

37
00:01:58,280 --> 00:01:59,560
Speaker 2: be wearing a mask, and you should be wearing a

38
00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:02,520
Speaker 2: mask way, and that you should present really early if

39
00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:03,240
Speaker 2: you do feel unwell.

40
00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:08,240
Speaker 1: What about the boosters. It's around the time that everyone's

41
00:02:08,240 --> 00:02:10,480
Speaker 1: getting their six month boost and now doctor Zach, so

42
00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:15,359
Speaker 1: how quickly can they put counteracted a new variant into

43
00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:16,640
Speaker 1: a new booster for us?

44
00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:19,960
Speaker 2: Doctor Zach, well, really quickly, And I guess this is

45
00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:23,560
Speaker 2: the reason why we've been now to get the vaccines

46
00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:24,960
Speaker 2: out so quickly, and a lot of people go, oh,

47
00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:28,959
Speaker 2: these are test vaccines whatever else. That's complete rubbish. We

48
00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:32,040
Speaker 2: are now able to in science do things that used

49
00:02:32,040 --> 00:02:35,240
Speaker 2: to take us fifteen or twenty years in a matter

50
00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:38,120
Speaker 2: of months, and we are able to make changes to

51
00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:41,560
Speaker 2: vaccines really, really quickly. The good thing is, though, a

52
00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:44,200
Speaker 2: lot of the key parts that we're making the vaccines,

53
00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:47,280
Speaker 2: which is to target from the spike proteins, which are

54
00:02:47,480 --> 00:02:51,519
Speaker 2: essentially like receptors that similar side of the virus, This

55
00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:55,760
Speaker 2: new strain has several new types of those spipe proteins,

56
00:02:55,760 --> 00:02:57,400
Speaker 2: which is one of the reasons why we're a little

57
00:02:57,440 --> 00:03:01,720
Speaker 2: bit concerned that the current vaccine may not be quite

58
00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:02,399
Speaker 2: as effective.

59
00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:04,560
Speaker 3: Right, Okay, we can.

60
00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:06,400
Speaker 2: Make some of the vaccines to then target those new

61
00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:09,480
Speaker 2: spike mashins, and they're already been and they're already starting

62
00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:11,240
Speaker 2: to be to be researched.

63
00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:11,440
Speaker 1: Now.

64
00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:14,160
Speaker 3: Doctor zach O Premier has said we can lose masks,

65
00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:18,919
Speaker 3: you know, indoors and for retail purposes on December the fifteenth,

66
00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:22,200
Speaker 3: would your advice be hold tight for the moment. We'll

67
00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:23,800
Speaker 3: just see how the next few weeks play out.

68
00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:26,799
Speaker 2: Definitely, I think I think that the biggest thing is

69
00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:30,320
Speaker 2: is if you're in a public enclosed area, what we

70
00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:33,720
Speaker 2: do know is that it stops the spread, just like

71
00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:36,480
Speaker 2: I mean, if you're chanting change to someone that fits

72
00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:38,960
Speaker 2: a lot when they talk, you stop those big, those

73
00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:41,680
Speaker 2: big particles from going onto things. So if you're in

74
00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:45,800
Speaker 2: an enclosed area, I think you'd be very wise to

75
00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:51,240
Speaker 2: continue to wash your hands really well, to wear a mask,

76
00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:54,200
Speaker 2: and certainly on the outdoor areas, it's still about getting

77
00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:57,520
Speaker 2: out and doing things safely, but also be really hyper

78
00:03:57,880 --> 00:03:59,920
Speaker 2: vigilant about who you're going to be seeing over the

79
00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:03,280
Speaker 2: next little while and making sure that just like any virus,

80
00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:05,360
Speaker 2: they spread really quickly to vulnerable people.

81
00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:09,080
Speaker 3: Make can I ask how to cut you off outside

82
00:04:09,120 --> 00:04:12,920
Speaker 3: of the impact of this new variant? Do you know

83
00:04:12,960 --> 00:04:15,920
Speaker 3: how they come up with the name for these variants?

84
00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:18,880
Speaker 2: Yes, so there are a few different ones. So this

85
00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:23,080
Speaker 2: is the I guess the fifteenth So have you asked

86
00:04:23,080 --> 00:04:24,520
Speaker 2: me this? By the way, this is going to be

87
00:04:24,520 --> 00:04:28,520
Speaker 2: my trivial pursuits here we went for the day. So

88
00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:31,840
Speaker 2: this is the fifteenth letter in the Greek alphabet, and

89
00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:35,600
Speaker 2: they've actually skipped a few the who keeps the omicron

90
00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:41,760
Speaker 2: name basically for viruses or different things that are concerning

91
00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:44,760
Speaker 2: or new concerns. And so they've actually skipped a few

92
00:04:44,760 --> 00:04:48,000
Speaker 2: other letters in the Greek alphabet that were earlier because

93
00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:51,920
Speaker 2: they kind of sound a fair bit like different languages

94
00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:57,599
Speaker 2: for the word new or Actually one of the ones

95
00:04:57,680 --> 00:05:00,720
Speaker 2: is t, which is a very and last name in

96
00:05:01,520 --> 00:05:03,719
Speaker 2: the Chinese population. So they don't want to kind of

97
00:05:03,960 --> 00:05:05,599
Speaker 2: creak and things like that.

98
00:05:05,839 --> 00:05:10,440
Speaker 3: Yeah, like por Delta had a couple last her career

99
00:05:10,520 --> 00:05:13,240
Speaker 3: is Oh my gosh, Paul thinks she's the only one

100
00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:14,320
Speaker 3: happy about the new variation.

101
00:05:14,800 --> 00:05:17,880
Speaker 1: Well, doctor Zach, we appreciate all your information. So, I

102
00:05:17,880 --> 00:05:19,720
Speaker 1: mean there's a bit of a media built up at

103
00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:21,760
Speaker 1: the moment. It isn't they're trying to freak everybody out,

104
00:05:21,760 --> 00:05:24,400
Speaker 1: but it's it's look at the signs are good at

105
00:05:24,440 --> 00:05:25,760
Speaker 1: the moment that we can contain it.

106
00:05:26,839 --> 00:05:28,800
Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly right. And I think the biggest thing here

107
00:05:28,920 --> 00:05:32,200
Speaker 2: is that, I mean, as the population, Australia has gone

108
00:05:32,279 --> 00:05:36,600
Speaker 2: from one of the most unvaccinated country to the top

109
00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:39,800
Speaker 2: view and it shows what coordinated effort can do as

110
00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:42,560
Speaker 2: long as we have good government polls and we have

111
00:05:42,640 --> 00:05:44,919
Speaker 2: the vaccines there. Because a strange that we should be

112
00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:47,280
Speaker 2: able to get out there and enjoy it all. And

113
00:05:47,320 --> 00:05:49,680
Speaker 2: certainly we're lucky that we have a country that we

114
00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:52,640
Speaker 2: do have big backyards and we can get out there

115
00:05:52,800 --> 00:05:54,920
Speaker 2: and exercise and not be kind of cramped as much.

116
00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:59,159
Speaker 2: So I think, enjoy it, but keep vigilance.

117
00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:04,280
Speaker 1: And true he alarm well, said doctor Zack. Appreciate your time, mate,

118
00:06:04,279 --> 00:06:06,360
Speaker 1: Thank you very much for coming on the show in

119
00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:06,800
Speaker 1: no worries.

120
00:06:06,839 --> 00:06:09,599
Speaker 2: I think your mate, that it fits you in Whipper