The second key finding or outcome from the economic analysis is that the economic cost comes down significantly if governments work quickly to get on top of the virus. This is the prime minister’s point. Early interventions, short, sharp lockdowns, are the most cost effective way to handle the virus.
Particularly at the current time.
And so what Treasury have found is that at 50% and 60% vaccination rates, it’s five times more costly should governments not move early to get on top of the virus, and that’s the short, sharp lockdowns that we’re now seeing in Queensland, that we’ve seen in Victoria and that we’ve seen in South Australia.