Magnifying glass and jigsaw puzzle piece. The Omicron variant is a variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

People with Disability Australia is calling on the Disability Royal Commission (DRC) to launch an emergency public hearing into the impact of the Covid Omicron crisis on people with disability.

The organisation has written an open letter to DRC chair Ronald Sackville urging him to convene a hearing into “the failure of Australian governments and responsible parties to adequately keep people with disability safe during the Covid pandemic and specifically during the Omicron wave.”

It notes that Omicron presented unique challenges which should have been addressed by protective strategies and positive measures undertaken by government.

According to the Board, the number of people with disability who have been lost to Covid and preventable death is steadily increasing, and the situation will worsen without urgent measures.

A copy of the letter can be:  found here.