Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[Pushka]

Australian residents would not tolerate the ongoing restrictions - masks have been compulsory here for 12 months or more now. Outside and inside. Restrictions on gatherings. No alcohol can be sold in venues after 10:30pm. Limits on large events.

Singapore tolerates low levels of of ongoing cases - and allows 5x number of inbound arrivals per capita - because they don’t explode like they always seem to in Australia. Presumably because of ongoing restrictions that would be unacceptable in Australia.

I read an article today about how Singapore plans to ditch the daily reporting of infections, no quarantine etc etc once a certain percentage of vaccinations had been completed. It's interesting and they must be having a shift in how to manage this. At least there is a plan for the future whereas in Australia, well, no one wants to know about it.

 

[JessicaTam]

[mod hat]
Virus spreading discussion, please, not discussion on each other.
[/mod hat]

 

[Flying mermaid]

I read an article today about how Singapore plans to ditch the daily reporting of infections, no quarantine etc etc once a certain percentage of vaccinations had been completed. It's interesting and they must be having a shift in how to manage this. At least there is a plan for the future whereas in Australia, well, no one wants to know about it.

I reckon they have a plan for the future, but they insist on treating us like mushrooms I think it might have been the Victorian deputy premier indicated possibly 50% fully vaccinated as a threshold, but I don’t know whether he was just picking that figure out the air.

 

[justinbrett]

incredibly well funded and functioning healthcare system

We have just endured 40 hours of this magnificent edifice in action and the result was not pretty.
Before making such a statement again, spend an evening in the er of your local hospital

Spend an evening in a hospital outside of the developed world - or even many countries in the developed world

We like to complain but our system is good

 

[clifford]

We like to complain but our system is good

Better than the NHS?

 

[nutwood]

I guess it’s not the number of cases, it’s the speed of spread that counts. If there’s a handful of cases one week and one week later there’s still a handful of cases and another week later still the same number of cases. …. who cares? In fact we rarely see any hysteria if that remains the case.

I guess though when the number multiples from a handful to 15 handfuls over the course of a week, they’re assuming in the absence of some sort of mitigation, that’s 15 handfuls could multiply to 225 handfuls in another week and so on …

No politician, even Gladys, who has arguable been the most reasonable of all the premiers, is going to take that sort of risk. If this turned into 20,000 cases there probably would be at least 100-200 deaths. Electorally not a good look, regardless of how it compares to their “regular flu”, until there some sort of movement in the media around this.

The problem we have in the absence of an Australia wide approach, is that any relaxation is going to result in an increase in numbers and it is not going to look good electorally. None the less, at some stage we are going to have to grasp the nettle or still be here, five years hence, slamming borders shut and worshiping iron ore as the only profitable business left in the country.

 

[justinbrett]

Better than the NHS?

I never said that, although I do know many Brits who like to complain about the NHS. I think that's what most Western countries do. Meanwhile the US are paying half their wage on basic health care...

Let alone countries where there isn't the wealth or the universal health care where people are left to die. Some people need to put things into perspective.

 

[RooFlyer]

I’m very ashamed that, 18 months in, our highly funded government has zero plan to move forward.

Well, OK. But I've heard of this plan to get everyone vaccinated as soon as supplies allow - the despized AZ supply reaches 2.6 million doses/week in July and the (so far) magical Pfizer will arrive from overseas in lots of 2.3 million doses per week in October. There's a 'plan' (AKA contracts) to get Modern and Novavax on board too. And to manufacture mRNA stuff here too. I've also heard of this plan to build a number of dedicated quarantine facilities in several states, and to open the international border 'when circumstances permit'. Now, you can argue that some of all that is late, and/or the wrong plan, but it sounds like a number of plans to me.

This supposed 'lack of a plan' has been brought up before - but I honestly would like to hear just what sort of plan people want? A firm date X when we can go overseas freely again? A path for elimination of the virus from Australia completely? An agreement between the states on the definition of a hotspot? ( ).

But when anyone specifies what type of plan they want, please make sure it can a) be actually deliverable (for instance, not reliant on agreement between the Feds and the States) and b) accommodate the mutating virus - including mutations we don't have yet; say, impervious to the current crop of vaccines. So, go make a deliverable plan.

 

[Pushka]

NSW Agricultural ? Minister did not look well tonight. And NZ has paused travel with all Aus.

 

[justinbrett]

Well, OK. But I've heard of this plan to get everyone vaccinated as soon as supplies allow - the despized AZ supply reaches 2.6 million doses/week in July and the (so far) magical Pfizer will arrive from overseas in lots of 2.3 million doses per week in October. There's a 'plan' (AKA contracts) to get Modern and Novavax on board too. And to manufacture mRNA stuff here too. I've also heard of this plan to build a number of dedicated quarantine facilities in several states, and to open the international border 'when circumstances permit'. Now, you can argue that some of all that is late, and/or the wrong plan, but it sounds like a number of plans to me.

This supposed 'lack of a plan' has been brought up before - but I honestly would like to hear just what sort of plan people want? A firm date X when we can go overseas freely again? A path for elimination of the virus from Australia completely? An agreement between the states on the definition of a hotspot? ( ).

But when anyone specifies what type of plan they want, please make sure it can a) be actually deliverable (for instance, not reliant on agreement between the Feds and the States) and b) accommodate the mutating virus - including mutations we don't have yet; say, impervious to the current crop of vaccines. So, go plan.

I think it's the same people that were saying "There's never been a vaccine for a coronavirus before! Most vaccines take 15+ years to develop" are the same people who are now saying "You should have ordered all of the different vaccine candidates months ago when we were telling you they wouldn't work!"

I actually believe the anti-AZ hype is dangerous and if we had a major outbreak like Melbourne did last year we'd be wishing we rolled it out to more people.

 

[tgh]

OT.. mods ??
Chatting to #1 son(sfo) today about the issues we had with a 97yo in er for 30 hours.
His comment was that the us system was very very good.. as long as you had the cover.
In our case we had the best cover available in au, with the aforementioned result.
We live in a first world country and should judge our edifices by first world standards..

..of course time moved on and they managed to massage the waiting list and she is now esconced in the private wing.

 

[drron]

According to the media Limo driver (who possibly kicked off the latest outbreak), wasn’t vaccinated (at the age of 60), because he was scared of clots. So less hysteria about AZ and more attention to statistics and risk could have saved disruption of millions of people and an economic loss of probably billions by the end. Something to think about

But he was eligible for vaccination prior to the concern about AZ clots.High risk job should have put him in 1b.
But this is an illustration why people who think there is no rush to vaccinate because we are at low risk are wrong.One escape like this and we may end up in serious trouble.The next one may be in QLD or WA.I am not so confident of their contract tracing abilities.

 

[dajop]

I read an article today about how Singapore plans to ditch the daily reporting of infections, no quarantine etc etc once a certain percentage of vaccinations had been completed. It's interesting and they must be having a shift in how to manage this. At least there is a plan for the future whereas in Australia, well, no one wants to know about it.

Yes, that is correct, and once vaccinations reach the target I think that's what will happen. But the difference is the government absolutely in control of the narrative.

Really in Austrlaia the government needs to get together with the opposition, various experts, state premiers, the media (almost Bob Hawke summit style) and map out a way forward, devoid of politics.

 

[tgh]

devoid of politics

The populace will not support such an action , they would prefer to fight..whatever the cost

 

[justinbrett]

OT.. mods ??
Chatting to #1 son(sfo) today about the issues we had with a 97yo in er for 30 hours.
His comment was that the us system was very very good.. as long as you had the cover.
In our case we had the best cover available in au, with the aforementioned result.
We live in a first world country and should judge our edifices by first world standards..

..of course time moved on and they managed to massage the waiting list and she is now esconced in the private wing.

But that's the difference. In the first world you complain about waiting (somewhat fair enough too).

In other countries people die because (a) they don't have the money to pay for it or (b) they simply don't have the resources at all.

It's fine to critique a western run health care system, there's an ideological argument as to whether the US, UK or AU approach is best. But in the context of Covid (ie, the topic of this thread) - you know that nobody is going to die because there isn't a bed in hospital, nor lack of oxygen or a ventilator. We have more than we need for the important stuff. And everybody gets treated regardless of if they can pay for it or not.

 

[tgh]

Relevance here ...is that a system already so overloaded with no beds public or private , and no Ambulances (because they are all parked outside the er waiting to unload )… there is absolute buckleys of managing even a mid level Covid outbreak…...

 

[jakeseven7]

Look at these turkeys spreading the love from NSW

——

Three NSW residents arrested for flying into Coober Pedy after being denied entry into NT​

SA Police said two women and a man had flown from Griffith to Coober Pedy in a private plane on Thursday, even though they were not allowed to enter South Australia.

They were denied entry to the NT on Friday and returned to the outback opal mining town.

Three NSW residents arrested for flying into Coober Pedy after being denied entry into NT

Three travellers from New South Wales are arrested in the South Australian outback after earlier trying to fly into the Northern Territory.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Pushka]

Look at these turkeys spreading the love from NSW

——

Three NSW residents arrested for flying into Coober Pedy after being denied entry into NT​

SA Police said two women and a man had flown from Griffith to Coober Pedy in a private plane on Thursday, even though they were not allowed to enter South Australia.

They were denied entry to the NT on Friday and returned to the outback opal mining town.

Three NSW residents arrested for flying into Coober Pedy after being denied entry into NT

Three travellers from New South Wales are arrested in the South Australian outback after earlier trying to fly into the Northern Territory.

www.abc.net.au

It was Coober Pedy's first every karaoke night too. Seriously, you cannot make this stuff up. Likely - they will test negative and end of story.

 

[nutwood]

Is the crime being an actual Covid risk or being an idiot?

 

[justinbrett]

Relevance here ...is that a system already so overloaded with no beds public or private , and no Ambulances (because they are all parked outside the er waiting to unload )… there is absolute buckleys of managing even a mid level Covid outbreak…...

If it were a life or death situation with a true Covid emergency, they would find capacity.