Health expert slams 'fear mongering' after leaked virus modelling
Infectious diseases expert Nick Coatsworth has slammed the leaking "without context" of modelling projecting Australia could have hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 cases every day.
Dr Coatsworth, was speaking on Today this morning after the Doherty Institute modelling was leaked on Tuesday, showing cases could reach 200,000 each day in a worst-case scenario.
The former federal deputy chief health officer said the figures had caused fear among people and threatened to derail health measures.
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Infectious disease expert Nick Coatsworth said the leaking of Doherty Institute modelling was a disservice for Australians. Nine
"I think the modelling released without context creates a lot of fear and fear leads to people not doing things they would normally do," Dr Coatsworth said.
"It's a counter productive way to manage COVID-19."
Earlier, Dr Coatsworth tweeted that the person who leaked the modelling without its full context was responsible for a "gross injustice" to Australians.
The emerging Omicron variant was behind the modelling's alarming figures, health experts said.
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The leaked Doherty Institute modelling projected 200,000 daily coronavirus cases in a worst-case scenario. AP
But Dr Coatsworth said the research included other projections of coronavirus cases over the next months.
And he believed the figure of 200,000 daily cases will not eventuate.
"I think there was a wide range of possibilities ... we now accept as a community that 200,000, that upper limit, will not happen and we can move forward from that."
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