An esteemed Australian psychologist is questioning the federal government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr Gregory J. Boyle B.Sc. (Hons), Ph.D. (Delaware), Ph.D. (Melbourne), D.Sc. (Queensland) has even taken the extraordinary step to write directly to Minister for Health Greg Hunt to express his concerns.
He’s also sought answers as to why people who have been fully-vaccinated are being required – under the threat of hefty fines issued by the NSW Police Force – to wear loose-fitting cloth or paper face masks while out in public during the current lockdowns.
It comes as Newcastle opened its own vaccination hub at Belmont on Monday 19 July.
“An apparent health science expert (Ms Radha Khiani, director, Office of Health Protection and Response Division) stated: ‘If people are in a region with significant community transmission… wearing a mask while out in public can provide an extra layer of protection, especially when it is difficult to practice physical distancing,” Dr Boyle said.
“Yet, to my knowledge, there is no definitive peer-reviewed published empirical evidence whatsoever that proves this supposition to be valid.
“To the very contrary, I sent Mr Hunt highly-credentialled research papers that confirm loose-fitting cloth or paper face masks were essentially useless in preventing viral transmission, such as COVID-19.
“Moreover, in relation the Delta variant, of which state governments seem so hysterically terrified, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Dr Rochelle Walensky issued the following unequivocal guidance: ‘Fully-vaccinated individuals are protected against the [Delta] strain and don’t need to wear masks’.
“What is the purpose and where is the incentive to get the jab if fully-vaccinated people are still being punished and required to wear face masks?
“This whole situation amounts to unscientific, hysterical fear-mongering that has no basis in fact.
“Not surprisingly, I haven’t received a response from Mr Hunt yet.
“But, the panic-stricken overreaction is pathetic.
“There were more than 1,100 flu deaths in Australia in 2017.
“No-one said anything about face masks or lockdowns back then.
“Is a flu death less concerning than a COVID death?”
Has government ‘completely screwed up?’
Dr Boyle took particular aim at the nation’s politicians, stating both the Australian and state governments had “completely screwed up” in recent times.
“As Alexander Downer mentioned a week or so ago when being interviewed on Sky News from Gibraltar, while the UK and the western world are now opening up and learning to live with COVID-19 (the same as they live with the seasonal flu), Australia is still irrationally locking down in the unrealistic quest to secure zero COVID cases after 18 months,” he said.
“This elimination policy is not based on reality since it is condemning Australians to a vicious cycle of lockdowns and re-lockdowns into the foreseeable future.
“What it does do, however, is to isolate Australia as an ill-informed ‘backwater’ in the world.
“Firstly, the vaccine roll-out has been a major cock-up.
“The major priority is to protect the vulnerable (99% of those who have died from COVID are over 65 years of age).
“They need the most effective (Pfizer) vaccine, not the least effective (AstraZeneca) vaccine, which has only 30% efficacy in those aged 70 years and older.
“And, due to its lack of effectiveness in the most vulnerable and its serious side-effects, AstraZeneca hasn’t been approved by the FDA for use in the United States.”
Dr Boyle said the decision-makers had to forget about “herd immunity”.
“That is just pie in the sky,” the Honorary Professorial Fellow at the University of Melbourne told the Newcastle Weekly.
“It is unethical and immoral that the most effective vaccine (Pfizer) is being squandered on young physically fit healthy Australians, when it is actually the elderly who are most at risk of dying from COVID.
“In the whole of Australia, over 18 months, only five people under 50 years of age have died – and, presumably, they all had pre-existing chronic disease.
“Heathy people under 50 don’t require any vaccine whatsoever.
“The government should have simply said that the elderly need to be isolated and protected (until they could get vaccinated) while allowing all healthy Australians under 60 years to go about their lives as normal.
“That is, without any small business destroying Draconian lockdowns and useless face masks.
“The resultant destruction of people’s lives and livelihoods, the resultant massive interference with children’s development, education, and mental health issues including domestic and child abuse, as well as suicides, will reap a disaster of monumental proportions in the years to come with our kids having to pay the price of the massive financial debt the country is now in as a result of these hysterical lockdowns.
“The government should have adopted the Great Barrington Declaration procedures rather than destroying people’s lives and livelihoods.
“It’s okay for public servants and politicians to tell others they need to sacrifice.
“But, they themselves are not impacted by these Draconian impositions on the public.
“They keep getting their six-figure salaries regardless, what hypocrites.”
There are too many ‘mixed messages’
Dr Boyle added the “mixed messaging” wasn’t helping the situation either.
“There are six states and two territories – a total of eight separate jurisdictions, each with a Premier, plus a health minister, a CMO and DMO, in addition to the federal government with a Prime Minister, health minister, CHO, and DHO, plus TGA and ATAGI,” he said.
“Hence, there are up to 54 ‘experts’ professing to offer health advice on how to manage the COVID-19 epidemic in Australia.
“In this instance, too many cooks in the kitchen are spoiling the broth.”
Dr Boyle feels Prime Minister Scott Morrison needs to take charge – and show he is a leader.
“Forget the National Cabinet and, if needed, just pass a law whereby all health advice and directions during the pandemic come from Canberra to which the Premiers must adhere,” he said.
“This will eliminate the confusion seen at present.
“We can’t have Premiers arbitrarily locking down whole cities and states just because a small number of people happen to register a positive COVID-19 PCR Test (many are false positives).
“Also, the current imposition of 14 days of mandatory hotel quarantine upon entry/re-entry to Australia is unnecessary, counterproductive (COVID spreads in hotel quarantine), and overkill.
“America imposes no quarantine upon entry to the US at all.
“Preventing Australian citizens from their lawful right to re-enter Australia – as stated inside their passports – is deplorable.
“It’s ironic, Anastasia Palaszczuk sees no problem in herself jet-setting off to Tokyo while tens of thousands of Australians stranded overseas cannot get back to see their loved ones, some of whom are on their deathbeds.
“For the Queensland Premier, it is a case of ‘do what I say, not what I do’.”
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