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Speaker 1: Well, as we know, today is the day that the

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Speaker 1: territory opens to the rest of the nation, and as

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Speaker 1: we know, there are some strict testing conditions in place

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Speaker 1: and sixty six remote communities are exemption zones. But from

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Speaker 1: midnight last night where you could fly or drive into

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Speaker 1: the Northern Territory from interstate or overseas if you're fully vaccinated.

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Speaker 1: And having a little look at the arrivals schedule at

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Speaker 1: the Darwin International Airport website, there does look as though

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Speaker 1: there's quite a few flights due to come in arriving

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Speaker 1: well from the likes of Brisbane and other places around Australia,

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Speaker 1: Melbourne and Sydney all the way to Singapore. So just

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Speaker 1: how prepared are we for the potential of COVID spread

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Speaker 1: as we do open up well. Joining me on the

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Speaker 1: line is the head of the AMA, doctor Robert Parker.

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Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Roberts Hi Kaby, Thanks so much

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Speaker 1: for your time this morning, Dr Parker, How are you feeling,

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Speaker 1: as the head of the AMA about the opening of

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Speaker 1: the territory this morning? To everybody that is vaccinated.

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Speaker 2: I'm actually unfortunately we've sived some quite deserving us from

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Speaker 2: Alice springs. That makes me quite pessimistic. The news from

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Speaker 2: colleagues and Alice Springs is that the COVID has now

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Speaker 2: gotten into the indigenous communities around the Alice and they're

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Speaker 2: very concerned about the ability of the health system to

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Speaker 2: cape a pounding a number of rural coinings of shafts.

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Speaker 2: There's not enough support apparently for the expected issues of illness.

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Speaker 2: So there's obviously a fairly critical situation developing right Australia.

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Speaker 1: So what exactly is happening. What's happening in Alice Springs

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Speaker 1: at the moment, because I obviously we just caught up

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Speaker 1: with the local member there for Tenant Creek, but haven't

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Speaker 1: had a real update from Alice at this stage. So

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Speaker 1: what are you hearing.

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Speaker 2: I've heard there's a couple of cases in Alice and

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Speaker 2: there's also a number of cases and communities such as

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Speaker 2: alic our Own. So yeah, it's my colleagues and Alice

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Speaker 2: are very concerned at the moment about the potential for

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Speaker 2: the further spread. Obviously, once it's in themmunities and with

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Speaker 2: a low vaccination rates, it's going to probably have a

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Speaker 2: significant impact and potentially you've got rural health clinics closed

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Speaker 2: for various reasons. It's can have a major impact on

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Speaker 2: the health system.

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Speaker 1: Dr Parker, How many of those clinics around Central Australia

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Speaker 1: are closed at this point?

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Speaker 2: My understanding is nine, Katie, but I haven't got that.

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Speaker 2: That was only information I've received from colleagues now things.

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Speaker 1: Wow, So nine of those clinics and are you talking

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Speaker 1: about sort of Central Australian communities or some of the

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Speaker 1: clinics more around Alice.

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Speaker 2: No, No, well, central Australian community. It's what I have

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Speaker 2: been told that.

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Speaker 1: Is a concern. As you said, there's obviously varying reasons

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Speaker 1: as to why they're closed. But do you have any

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Speaker 1: idea as to what some of those reasons are.

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Speaker 2: No, I don't at the moment. It's sort of almost

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Speaker 2: only received information a few minutes ago. But it's obviously

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Speaker 2: very concerning, particularly with the expected entry now of a

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Speaker 2: lot more people into the territory when there's already a

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Speaker 2: significant issue in Central Australia.

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Speaker 1: When you talk about those significant issues in Central Australia,

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Speaker 1: nine clinics been closed in the communities is obviously one

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Speaker 1: of the concerns. What about when you look at the

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Speaker 1: likes of the Alae Springs Hospital. Are we equipped for

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Speaker 1: an influx of patients?

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Speaker 2: I would think of this spreads probably not. I woud

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Speaker 2: think it's going to put a major pressure on hospital

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Speaker 2: to try and cope. I want to said, this is

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Speaker 2: information I've received from colleagues or obviously very concerned about

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Speaker 2: what's about to happen.

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Speaker 1: Well, that is a real worry and I can hear

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Speaker 1: it in your voice actually that you do sound concerned.

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Speaker 1: What are those doctors in Central Australia saying to you

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Speaker 1: at this point?

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Speaker 2: Well, of course you know there's very little resource outside

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Speaker 2: the hospital, which means that people who are ready sick

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Speaker 2: are going to end up in the hospital potentially overwhelming resources.

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Speaker 2: So yeah, that was the information. Because of the clan closed,

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Speaker 2: because of other other resources not potentially being available, it's

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Speaker 2: going to put a lot of pressure on the hospital

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Speaker 2: to cope. And again it's likely to be quite major.

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Speaker 1: What capabilities do they have in Alice Springs for COVID cases?

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Speaker 1: How many ventilators are there? What capability have they got

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Speaker 1: there at the hospital?

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Speaker 2: So Okatie and I think you've probably have to check

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Speaker 2: with a minister or read sent on in Australia to

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Speaker 2: get more information on that, I suspect.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, Robert, what about for us up here in the

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Speaker 1: top end, how are you feeling when it comes to

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Speaker 1: the preparedness of our health system as the border's fling opened.

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Speaker 2: Well, we've coped, and again the high vaccination rates in

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Speaker 2: the communities in the top end have been I suppose

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Speaker 2: it's reassuring that a lot of people have got vaccinated,

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Speaker 2: which is the best protection. You know, double vaccination with

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Speaker 2: triple vaccination better because the thing is, if you've vaccinated

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Speaker 2: and you get the virus, you're less likely to present

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Speaker 2: on the health system, so you're likely to have mild

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Speaker 2: symptoms and basically do is and be well with it.

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Speaker 2: But the problem is people who aren't vaccinated and get

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Speaker 2: the virus get really sick, and that's put some massive

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Speaker 2: pressure on the health system to sort of look after

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Speaker 2: those individuals as well as you know, the wider problems

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Speaker 2: of transmission in the community.

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Speaker 1: And I guess we've sort of seen with the cases

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Speaker 1: that we've had in recent weeks that there are some

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Speaker 1: that have required hospitalization and have needed quite a lot

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Speaker 1: of care. There are others that have been able to

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Speaker 1: stay within the Center for National Resilience and you know,

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Speaker 1: some of those vaccinated, some unvaccinated. In terms of the

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Speaker 1: resourcing that we've got at the at the Royal Darwin Hospital,

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Speaker 1: what kind of you know, what kind of infection rate

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Speaker 1: are we going to be able to deal with?

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Speaker 2: Well, Katie, I'm going to again thinks that to be

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Speaker 2: adjusted and I mean you've got again vaccination will hopefully

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Speaker 2: prevent people that requiring ventilators and again people will you know,

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Speaker 2: most of the people have mild symptoms, so hopefully most

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Speaker 2: people won't require the high level interventions you know that

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Speaker 2: occurred elsewhere when you've got a whole bunch of people

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Speaker 2: who haven't beenvaccinated turning up, you know, requiring high level report,

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Speaker 2: high level respiratory support and ventilation. HM. So you know,

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Speaker 2: we keep our fingers crossed that most of the individuals

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Speaker 2: vaccinated we'll only need sort of minimal medical support which

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Speaker 2: won't put a particular pressure on the health system. And

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Speaker 2: I mean the hospital always adjust for degree. I mean

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Speaker 2: we'll where unfortunate people have had operations cancer three or

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Speaker 2: four times because of the existing level for acuity. And

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Speaker 2: also you know the need to adjust around COVID, so

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Speaker 2: the health system will adjust. But the best protection for

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Speaker 2: everybody is vaccination and more vaccination.

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Speaker 1: Dr Parker, How concerned are you for Central Australia at

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Speaker 1: the moment? I know, as as we said right at

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Speaker 1: the start of this, there's still a lot of that

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Speaker 1: info that we haven't had confirmed from the Health Minister

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Speaker 1: at this point. But you've got people on the ground there,

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Speaker 1: doctors on the ground.

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Speaker 2: How big a worry is this, Well, I would be

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Speaker 2: a very concerned given the low vaccination rates already in

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Speaker 2: the communities there and the way that this does spread

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Speaker 2: very quickly indigenous communities because of overcrowding and houses and

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Speaker 2: people moving around the communities. I think there's a very

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Speaker 2: serious issue about two emergence into Australia. And obviously my

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Speaker 2: colleagues have worked there for many years and have very

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Speaker 2: well informed, are very worried about.

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Speaker 1: Are many people sort of due to go with many

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Speaker 1: of those health workers due to go on leave as well.

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Speaker 1: Do you think we've got the staff there to be

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Speaker 1: able to cope?

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Speaker 2: Well. Christmas always puts a lot of pressure on the

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Speaker 2: health system, with a lot of people obviously trying to

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Speaker 2: connect with families, a lot of people traveling into state

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Speaker 2: and whatever. So yes, I'm not sure, and I'm sure

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Speaker 2: there's probably some high level meetings happening within our Springstofts

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Speaker 2: well at the moment of t and review the situation

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Speaker 2: of staffing and what's actually occurring.

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Speaker 1: Well, doctor Robert Parker, I always appreciate your time. Thank

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Speaker 1: you very much for having a chat with us this

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Speaker 1: morning and making us aware of what sounds as well.

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Speaker 1: It's an evolving situation in Central Australia. Hope. Well, we

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Speaker 1: probably we won't have to talk to you for the

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Speaker 1: rest of the week, but we may have to. But

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Speaker 1: either way, if I don't speak to you again before Christmas,

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Speaker 1: thank you very much for your time all throughout the

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Speaker 1: year and I hope that you have a great Christmas

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Speaker 1: and New Year.

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Speaker 2: You and all your listeners. Katie, thank you,