The easing of restrictions in the fight against COVID has prominent Wollongong scientist Justin Yerbury feeling "anxious and uneasy".
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So much so, that Dr Yerbury, who is battling motor neurone disease (MND), hit up NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet on social media, to highlight his concerns.
"I just wanted to let you know how the sudden end of all restrictions affects vulnerable people like myself who remain at risk regardless of vax," he Tweeted to the premier.
"Without a mask mandate and check-ins the 10 staff who look after me don't know if they have come [into contact] with someone with COVID and could easily pass it on to me which could be fatal.
"Please reinstate the most basic measures to keep people in your state safe."
Dr Yerbury today told the Mercury the surge in COVID cases was making him feel very anxious.
"I feel a great unease about the whole thing. I think that the easing of all restrictions is premature given that the case numbers are higher now than any time in the pandemic," he said.
Dr Yerbury though did not want to see the state return to lock down conditions.
"I would hate to see us go back into another lock down and we have done exceptionally well to get so many people vaccinated," he said.
"What I think that we can do to protect everyone in the community is to wear a mask in public and record check ins so that people can be notified if they have come into contact with someone that has COVID."
Dr Yerbury said he could understand the logic in rethinking COVID numbers in terms of hospitalizations and not case numbers, given that the vaccination rates are high and the risk to healthy people that have had the vaccine is very low.
But he stressed there were some people in the community that were still at considerable risk.
"Despite being vaccinated, the elderly, the immunocompromised, and people with underlying conditions are still at risk of severe illness and possibly death if they contract COVID," Dr Yerbury said.
"The ability to assess the risk of numbers of cases in the community and the ability to trace cases is crucial to the lives of many in our community.
"With the easing of restrictions though the amount of risk in the community becomes unknown. I am not confident enough that I will be protected so if I want to stay safe, I need to stay isolated.
"What is more concerning though is the fact that as my team of care staff go about their lives they won't know if they have come into contact with a COVID case and may unwittingly bring COVID into my house.
"Because of my underlying conditions I remain at risk of severe disease even though I have had all my vaccinations."
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