TRANSCRIPT: OPENING OF THE YOUNG RESPIRATORY CLINIC, 18 May 2020

E&OE

Subjects: Young Respiratory Clinic, Australia’s Racing Industry;

MICHAEL MCCORMACK

Well, we're opening this respiratory clinic and it's so important that regional centres, particularly ones the size of Young, get clinics such as this.  We're going to Cowra a little later this morning to do a similar thing there.  And of course, the important message that we're trying to tell people is if they have got flu-like symptoms please come down and get it checked out because what we want to continue to do is to contain and minimise the spread of COVID-19. 

Yes, it has had such an effect on our communities, such an effect on our economy but thankfully, we've been able to, with the great help of Australians downloading the COVIDSafe app, making sure that they practice social distancing, making sure that where and when possible they've stayed at home and they've followed the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Brendan Murphy's advice and that's helped Australia be a world leader in containing and minimising not only the number of cases but also the mortality rate.  So important to continue to be able to do that, so important to continue to follow the expert advice because what we don't want to now see, having done all the hard work, is see a second wave, another outbreak. 

We've been able to lead the world as far as the health crisis is concerned.  Yes, it's had an effect on jobs and it's had an effect on the economy, we'll get through that.  We'll get through that because we always do.  We are very resilient and particularly regional people are very resilient and largely they've done what they've been asked to do and that is save lives.  It's also protected livelihoods and I thank Dr Asitha and his expert team here.  They're now going to provide this great facility.  And I know that Brian Ingram, as a leader in the community too, you know, they're out there encouraging people to continue to do the right thing because Young is not immune, like every other town, none of these towns are immune to an outbreak. 

And whilst regional Australia has done very well as far as being able to contain COVID-19, it's not to say that there couldn't be something happen down the track.  So, we've done well so far.  Clinics like this will make sure that, you know, if there are those flu-like symptoms amongst people, they can come in, get checked out and have that peace of mind.

BRIAN INGRAM

The set-up of this arrangement is fantastic, to give people easy access to get tested.  What we're trying to encourage now is people, if they have any symptoms at all, is to step up and get tested.  Things have been pretty well under control in the regional areas but we want to keep it that way.  So the Federal Government has been setting these testing arrangements up so people can get tested easily.  They don't have to travel anywhere.  They can pop in, get tested here, be reassured that everything is done exactly how it should be done.  And the more testing we can have done, the sooner and the better off everyone will be.  We need to know if it's out there and we need to make sure that we continue testing as much as we possibly can to eliminate any risk.  And if there is one pop up, the app has been mentioned before, we've got the tracing app, so that's fantastic as well.  So, for regional areas, these type of temporary set-ups to be tested for COVID-19 are a fantastic advantage and we thank the Federal Government very much for their help and of course the Deputy Prime Minister, Michael McCormack, being here this morning to acknowledge that and open it for us.  So we appreciate it greatly.

DR ASITHA WICKRAMARATNE

Yes, so we're actually very grateful to the Australian Government for helping us set up these clinics where we can have them separate from our regular practice, where we can actually safely look after our vulnerable patients in the practice where it's minimising the risk of contamination from the COVID clinic.  So, basically, the process is going to be, we will have an app called HotDoc where patients can book into that app.  They can directly book into HotDoc for the Young Respiratory Clinic or there will be a link on the New South Wales Health website as well as our Boorowa Street Practice website.  And they can just Google ‘Respiratory Clinics’ and it will just drop down. 

And so, we're using the back entrance here so that we sort of keep the two clinics separate.  The clinic will run from 12.30 in the afternoon till 4.30.  I will be running the clinics for four hours to make maximum utilisation of the PPE.  We have these in short supply at the moment.  And we'll be seeing patients who have mild to moderate respiratory symptoms; so these are your coughs, colds, runny nose, sore throats and mild shortness of breath and feeling unwell, that sort of patients who can come in. 

Patients will initially be triaged by the nurse and then they will be handed over to a doctor who will assess the patient from a respiratory point of view.  And we are planning to swab every patient that comes through.  So the idea is to increase the amount that we swab and to sort of make sure we swab most of the patients who present to the clinic and most of the community, so that will be sort of safe going forward from now on.  The patients have to come across from the back and they have to park at the back. They park there, walk just 50 metres in, meet the reception where we'll be putting a mask onto the patients, then handed over to the nurse, initial assessment and to see the doctor. We will be running the clinic Monday to Friday, 12.30 pm till 4.30 pm. Once the swab's taken, there'll be two collections within that four-hour period, by Laverty Pathology and they're just across the road.  They will be coming in and they'll be taking swabs in.  The turnaround time will be about 48 hours.  It might be earlier than that but usually 48 hours.  All the negative tests will go to the patients as a text message.  And the positive ones, if we do get any, the doctors will be calling the patients, public health will be communicating with them and the patients will be given clear instructions on what to do.

JOURNALIST

And severe symptoms?

DR ASITHA WICKRAMARATNE

Severe symptoms will have to present to the hospital.  This is mainly – the whole idea of this clinic is to manage mild to moderate symptoms and to keep people out of hospitals. That’s what we're trying to do.

JOURNALIST

Yes, all right, thank you.  So, yeah, can you just tell me why you backed the racing industry and why you think it was so important?

MICHAEL MCCORMACK

Horse racing is different to other sports in as much as the rules of racing forbid any close contact mid-race.  It's not like football where close contact is actually the order of the day.  It's how sport, the particular codes of football, are played.  But with horse racing, it's different.  The jockeys, the drivers as in the trots, aren't allowed to really come in contact with each other during the actual event.  And so, therefore, not only that, it was also the fact that it employs more than 70,000 people, more than half of whom are actually in regional Australia.  I was also worried about what was going to happen to the horses, the pacers and the thoroughbreds, as well as the dogs of course, should racing be shut down.  Then trainers, owners, there's no money circulating, what was actually going to happen to all those animals?  It would have become an animal welfare issue and not only that, you get those people who do like to have a bet.  And a lot of Australians like to have a bet.  They almost have to have a bet.  Where were they going to then place their betting money?  Were they going to be betting on overseas wrestling or some sort of, you know, internet gambling sites that were a little bit dodgy?  That concerned me.  And so, given the number of jobs, particularly in regional Australia, given the fact that I thought the sport could continue and also the animal welfare issue, I fought hard in our Federal Cabinet situation when the matter was raised and when it was going to go to National Cabinet, I fought hard to ensure that people did know that all those issues were important and the fact that the actual sport of racing could, I thought, develop protocols by which they could continue. 

And so after I convinced my colleagues that that could be so, I then rang Greg Nichols, who's been a long-time friend of mine who's actually the chairman of Australian Racing, I contacted him.  I contacted Peter V'landys who I know quite well and others besides, to ensure that they put the right processes and protocols in to ensure that there wasn't any slip-up, that there wasn't, if they were given the opportunity, any digression from where they needed to be.  And look, they've done really well.  And you know, the Sydney Carnival, the autumn racing Carnival went ahead.  It was successful. The Wagga Wagga Gold Cup of course was won and run the other day.  And largely, sport, the sport has been able to continue, albeit without crowds but, you know, that's one of the sacrifices that, of course, the sport of racing, like every other sport, had to endure.  We can't have these mass gatherings.  But the fact is there's no animal welfare issue.  Trainers are still getting paid, owners are still being given the opportunity to watch it on Sky Racing and listen to it on the radio and that sort of thing and be able to bet on it.

JOURNALIST

Do you think it's sort of helped people's day-to-day lives too?  I've met a lot of people who said, "Thank God the racing is still on."

MICHAEL MCCORMACK

Yeah, yeah, a lot of people have and a lot of people have thanked me. A lot of people have actually come up to me and said, "I believe you're the one who kept racing going.  Thank you so much."  And look, I'm a bit of a racing aficionado.  I do like my racing.  I don't bet on it but I do like the racing and I just thought, given so many people are involved in racing, a lot of people wouldn't understand.  It's actually, you know, it's almost our fifth biggest industry, racing.  It is a massive industry.  And, yes, I appreciate that the hospitality side of it's gone by the wayside.  I get that.  But that will resume.  But the fact that they are able to continue racing through COVID-19 with minimal disruption has been very good.

JOURNALIST

Thanks, Michael.

MICHAEL MCCORMACK

Pleasure.  No drama at all.

Shane Manning