Australia's response to the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic may have saved more than 16,000 additional lives, medical research suggests.
The Medical Journal of Australia used mortality data from all causes in England and Wales during the first wave to estimate the consequences for a similar outbreak Down Under.
Researchers say it could have resulted in an extra 16,313 deaths in Australia during that time.
COVID-19 has claimed 894 lives in Australia as of Monday.
All but 88 of those deaths have occurred in Victoria, crippled by a second wave sparked by poor infection control in hotel quarantine.
But the study found the country's overall response had been "remarkably successful".
"This enormous difference underlies the importance of Australia's response using a combination of extensive testing and contact tracing, mandatory quarantine of people returning from overseas, and shutdowns to control community transmission," it said.
"While acknowledging that these measures carry with them substantial social and economic harms, we wish to highlight the scale of the loss of life avoided."
The study also said the experience in Melbourne had underscored the importance of not becoming complacent about the virus.
