Ben Fordham is urging Australians to keep things in perspective amid anxiety around rising COVID case numbers.

“There have been many hopeless moments during COVID-19,” Ben admitted.

“Last year’s lockdown from June to October was rock bottom.

“Our current situation is better … NSW is not in a crisis.”

Ben told his listeners that while the vaccine rollout has been slow, and rapid antigen tests hard to find, Australia recorded 2,700 COVID deaths in two years, ranking in at 99th in the world.

In the same period:

• America recorded 850,000 COVID deaths
• 150,000 in the UK
• 300,000 in Russia
• 486,000 in India

Last year, between January and October, 125,000 Australians passed away.

Coronavirus accounted for just 1.3 per cent of deaths – about 1,600 in total.

• 41,000 died from cancer.
• 13,000 from Dementia and Alzheimer’s.
• 11,600 from heart disease.
• 7,000 from strokes and brain aneurisms.
• 4,000 from diabetes.
• 2,500 from suicide.
• 1,800 from drug overdoses.
• Almost 2,000 from accidental falls.

On the same day 17 people died from coronavirus in NSW, an estimated 136 Australians died of cancer.

The odds of someone dying from COVID in NSW are 0.1 per cent.

The odds of going to hospital is 0.8 per cent and ending up in intensive care is 0.05 per cent.

Press PLAY below to hear Ben’s comments in full