One of Australia's top doctors has rejected calls for the return of a mask mandate as COVID-19 hospitalisations rise across the country.
Dr Nick Coatsworth told Today it was important to remember that vaccination and booster shots remained a strong defence against COVID-19.
It follows media reports that Queensland doctors were calling for the return of the mandate at public gatherings and in hospitals, GP surgeries.
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"The Australian Medical Association has quoted 245 hospitalisations of COVID-19 with this (current) wave in Queensland, but there are over a million admissions to Queensland hospitals every year," he said.
"The suggestion that this is a wave is probably incorrect.
"We don't need to go back to masks."
Dr Coatsworth said although there was a slight rise in hospitalisations, the number of intensive care admissions had dropped.
"Let's reassure the public that vaccination works," he said.
"COVID-19 is now a milder disease because of what we call herd immunity, we have all been exposed to it.
"There are other ways to manage the hospital pressures. In Canberra, we use virtual care clinics and hospital in the homes and frankly I was on shift yesterday and we had not a single patient with COVID-19 in our acute medical unit."
Individual health services are able to create their own guidelines to whether staff or visitors should be wearing a mask.
