Dear Dr Kerry Chant,
This is just a note from a stranger to say thank you. While you don’t know me, you’ve become one of the most important people in my life.
Each day, without fluster, you anchor the next 24 hours, providing a number that dictates how we need to live. This week, though, I saw a hint of something more in your daily address. Still calm — but it was difficult to hide your concern. Could I hear a touch of fear too?
It was only a couple of weeks ago that the tally of new COVID-19 cases sat at two. And then you announced it was 22. Then 112. Then 172. Then 262. And then, in the blink of an eye, 415. Then 478. And we all know, deep down, that the trajectory is up.
“I cannot describe my concern level if we do not drive these cases down.’’
That’s what you as New South Wales’ chief health officer said on Sunday, and I’ve listened to you long enough to know you do not know how to embellish. You’re measured, always. Even yesterday, when you listed, with enormous empathy, the details of those who had been killed in 24 hours by this indiscriminate beast. Straight-talking. Sincere. An antidote to the screaming leadership that turns everyone off. And you turn up, no matter what. Don’t underestimate the importance of that to the rest of us.
Broken glasses, and you turn up. Imperfect hair. Missed family functions. God knows when you last saw your three kids. And I say that as I hold my own tight.
I’m sorry that so many are ignoring your advice. I’m talking about those at the beach. Out and about, because they can. Shopping! Why are those shops even open?
Your composure, no matter what is thrown at you by politicians and pundits, is remarkable. I envy that. Don’t you want to just call out the idiots who are pitting their ignorance against your decades of experience? Just once?
You must be dog-tired. And I don’t say that in the condescending way NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard suggested last week. But you can’t lead a response to a pandemic like this and not feel exhausted. Worried. Fearful. I can’t imagine you enjoying too many good nights’ sleeps.
Thank you. Because you’re not doing this for you. You’re doing it for us. And you just keep turning up. On days when numbers are good. And on days now, too frequently, when numbers are bad.
That must entail significant personal sacrifice. I know your mother-in-law has been making food for your family; I hope she’s a gourmet cook! And you told us how important your husband was to you — just after he got his first dose of AstraZeneca. He, and your three children, must miss you terribly. Thanks for doing that, for us.
Thanks for the message you delivered our teens too, the one where you didn’t have a clue what you wanted to do in life, and spent time working in a furniture shop and a pharmacy and even Mr Whippy. Our children need to hear that. And how it was only later that you settled on medicine. Thank God.
A bachelor of medicine and bachelor surgery in 1987. A master’s in health administration in 1992. A second master’s — in public health — in 1995. Your experience is an antidote to the craven misinformation being spread by many. The anti-vaxxers. Those opposing lockdowns. Those worried about 5G chips in their foreheads. The shoppers. The beach-goers.
You haven’t just arrived on centre stage. The time you spent in the pubic health unit of Sydney’s south-west area health service must have been invaluable. Plotting the state’s HIV strategy, early on, must have delivered superb negotiation skills. And you’ve served as deputy chief health officer, before taking the big job 13 years ago.
That experience is reassuring. So is the fact that you don’t play politics. You just tell us what we need to know: that daily number. And you try, in the most gracious and serious way, to tell us to treat this monster more seriously. It must have been difficult this week to read out that list of people who have had their lives cut short by COVID. Especially 15-year-old Osama Suduh, who also came from Sydney’s south-west.
Everyone says you’re a team player. But in this war, you’re out front and centre, copping the flak for those behind you. That’s been perilous some days; dangerous on others. But you keep turning up. Serious-faced. Genuine. An anchor in the day of hundreds of thousands of people who are falling in behind you.
I’d like to think I speak for so many of them. Thank you.
I did not appreciate the way Mr Health Hazzard bullied Dr Chant in the parliamentary hearings last week. He is just another one of the appalling sub humans in the NSW Government. Dr Chant is Gold Class the rest of the elected government is POO Class.
Hazzard is a bully. He behaved poorly with the Ruby Princess debacle. Imagine having to work under him? He would be the incompetent yet full-of-himself boss many of us would dread having. History will be kind to Chant but forget Hazzard.
Sadly, Chant was in charge when the Ruby Princess debacle unfolded and that damaged my confidence in her ability to deliver. Now, with what I term the Berejiklian-experiment, delivering Delta-Covid nation-wide I find no reason to adjust my view. NSW government, which this bureaucrat serves has always been the outlier in how to suppress the virus. Now we watch in horror as the case numbers surge, the deaths mount and NSW leaders seek to blame everyone but themselves for their soft, lite-touch, ‘it’s not that bad’ response. Truely tragic.
Hazzard made that decision not Chant, as did Dutton’s lying bastards when they let it land at all.
That is the most important point about the docking of the plague ship – it was told to stand off by the ABF ‘boarding officer’ whose instruction was countermanded by a phone call from HQ in Canberra.
It is telling that Dutton refused point blank to allow ABF officers to appear or even be questioned by Brett Walker SC at the whitewash…sorry enquirty into the debacle.
Nothing whatsoever to do with there being several important Hillsongers on board bringing the good word and virus from the USofA.
Agree with everything you’ve said Richard.
I too lost faith after the Ruby Princess debacle, and with the failed “let it rip” strategy of Delta .
I’d like to ask Dr Chant exactly how many victims have contracted the Delta variant through NSW but particularly Sydney’s major hospitals – and why, these places are NEVER listed on NSW Health website as Venues of Concern.
Someone, somewhere knows exactly how many people have been unintentionally infected because of health workers continuing to work while knowingly infected, putting at risk not hundreds, but many thousands of lives.
Is this why Berejiklian has stated yesterday that next week could see figures as high as 1000 per day?
A friend in Sydney last week received an email from her child’s Catholic High School advising parents to prepare for Remote learning to continue until the end of October, possibly November, and perhaps until the next school year (2022).
As if that wasn’t bad enough, two days later she received an email from the government department she works for… advising her that she will be continuing to work from home, until at least October, early November, possibly even longer!
This shows the NSW Government selectively advising certain cohorts of just how long the situation is likely to last.
Trouble is, they apparently think nobody else is entitled to receive the same .
Not good enough from any aspect, in my opinion.
Im ok with what you say, but nobody has been infected by health workers who were knowingly infected. Not one. Please feel free to retract that statement.
There is an interesting and important difference between Dr Chant and Dr Young and between the two premiers: NSW messaging is loose, even vague while Qld’s is much more precise and clear. Do not leave home versus please try to stay at home; wear a mask at all times versus masks are an important blah blah. Only later did NSW get precise. I guess the medicos would have wanted precision but politicians were happier with loose messages of personal responsibility. Feeds into ideological differences between individual versus collective, enablement versus rules and money for facilitating versus money for services
And Melbourne, and ACT, and NT, everyone except for Gladys. Her verbosity gets in the way of clear communication, and somebody close to her should tell her to sharpen up her answers and stop with the verbal diarrhoea.
Few people like politicians, especially those wedded to the 24×7 news cycle. In the old days, politicians would have advisers with a strategic mindset. Nowadays, they have tactical media advisers. It shows in the vacuous statements uttered every day.
I doubt that many understand the difference between tactics/strategy – probably why it does not register when Scummo et al contradict themselves in short order.
(Not infrequently within the same dollop of guff – as BK and others have pointed out reently with the tabulations of the Prime Mendacitor…a necessary neologism for this fool.
Nothing about “NSW Coalition’s” Hazzard or Berejiklian’s “handling” of her – as some sort of shield, for their political economy first “management” of Covid – and the way it’s spread from there? As if “If anything goes wrong it’s not our fault – we were just following Chant’s recommendations”?
Did “Qld Labor government appointee” Jeanette Young get a similar “letter” of thanks?
The Saturday Paper reveals how Killer Gladdly did not listen to Dr Chant’s advice, preferring to slavishly bend over for Clubs NSW, the AHA, the property council, the housing and construction industry. Morri$sin’s plan and Shredder Ruby’s plan was always different from Chant’s.
Inside the NSW plan: Now live with the virus
https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2021/08/14/inside-the-nsw-plan-now-live-with-the-virus/162886320012267
I wonder how much the virus has been spread by the Government/health department? I think it is curios the “stay at home but go get tested, and vaccinated!”, if you can find one!
It blows me away! No wonder numbers are surging!; I feel sorry for Dr Chant, she must feel conflicted on so many levels backing up the current NSW, LNP.
David Shoebridge, the Greens MLC who chairs the NSW Covid inquiry, says Chant’s evidence raised the question of exactly what advice the government was following in its decision-making.
“I don’t think we are getting the full story from the premier. She keeps reiterating, ‘We are following the health advice.’ Well, clearly it’s much more complex than that,” Shoebridge says.
“We now know for the first time that Kerry Chant has been providing written advice to the government throughout the pandemic, and the government is refusing to produce it because they say it’s cabinet-in-confidence.
Wow – not getting the full story from Gladys. No… I just can’t believe that!
Very good question, Madonna King has been somewhat less effusive about Dr Young who to my eye has been consistently clear minded and courageous in leading her public health responsibility.
But Young is “a Labor government appointee” – associations to which King is not a fan, and hasn’t been since back in the daze of her paid devotion to churning out Limited News Party propaganda at Rupert’s Brisbane Curry or Maul, under the editorship of husband Dave Fagan.
Beg to differ.
Her clanger about Astra-Zenica was one of the stupidest comments of the pandemic.
No small feat
The one supported by a couple of other experts in that 4 Corners episode on the mishandling of this pandemic?
The one where she re-iterated ATAGI advice (shortly after the PM threw fire on the confusion fire with his intemperate comments)
Morri$sinner is reverting to the antivaxxer QAnon mindset and has ruled out further public health orders requiring staff to be vaccinated, labelling such a move amounts to vaccine mandates “by stealth”.
The Hillsingers have a disturbingly high regard for their precious bodily fluids being constantly in danger of pollution by Satan.
More USAF Brig. General Jack D Ripper than 7th Dayers.
Whilst the ratbag “Amway meets Jesus” cult would probably welcome Ripper, I think $cotty is more your Buck Turgidson, however to draw on another American military comic/drama, The Announcer-in-Chief is very much channeling Colonel Cargill from Catch 22:
“”Colonel Cargill was so awful a marketing executive that his services were much sought after by firms eager to establish losses for tax purposes. His prices were high, for failure often did not come easily. He had to start at the top and work his way down, and with sympathetic friends in Washington, losing money was no simple matter. It took months of hard work and careful misplanning. A person misplaced, disorganized, miscalculated, overlooked everything and open every loophole, and just when he thought he had it made, the government gave him a lake or a forest or an oilfield and spoiled everything. Even with such handicaps, Colonel Cargill could be relied on to run the most prosperous enterprise into the ground. He was a self-made man who owed his lack of success to nobody.” -Joseph Heller, Catch-22″
No clanger that one, she’s right
Acci and the Australian Industry Group for employers want to be indemnified if they encourage vaccination; FFS they are the ones who have pressured Killer Gladdly to ignore the advice of the health experts
Another “Coalition distraction (from bad PR) piece :- Saving some of Glad & Brad’s charred chestnuts”?
Nothing about Shredder’s/Hazzard mismanagement “chestnuts” : all to do with Chant?
Actually I prefer Jeanette Young in Queensland – who is to the point and unambiguous and the number of deaths and hospitalisations prove this –
NSW is an example of how to stuff things up – perhaps using Joe Biden management techniques.