The timing of a state government decision to hand out free N95 face masks has been called into question after an announcement that Victoria has passed the peak of the latest wave.

But head of the Melbourne School of Health Sciences at Melbourne University, Professor Bruce Thompson, says handing out free N95 masks, which are more effective than surgical or cloth masks, is still a good decision.

“I think we are, thank goodness, decreasing the number of hospitalisations, but it’s still 643,” he told Ross and Russel.

“That’s more than one Alfred Hospital worth of patients.”

Professor Thompson says Australians need to realise COVID-19 is “not going away”.

“We need to be ahead of the game,” he said.

Press PLAY below to hear Professor Thompson’s view