Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Interestingly the NSW positivity rate is another new record today and NSW tests is very high at about 151,000 - hadn't heard of any specific asymptomatic PCR testing program except for Western NSW.

 

[jrfsp]

Interestingly the NSW positivity rate is another new record today and NSW tests is very high at about 151,000 - hadn't heard of any specific asymptomatic PCR testing program except for Western NSW.

Australia really need to step up the PCR testing, we're really late to the party here.

I know in the UK households were getting boxes upon boxes dropped through the letterbox.

 

[Jenya]

About time. Should have been built when first suggested. Feds have failed completely on providing quarantine facilities as is their responsibility. Good to see someone stepping up to the plate and building this.

IMHO: Quarantine facilities will be needed for years to come.

The site was rejected for a multitude of reasons. As the PM just said, the Premier has had the ability to build and fund that facility with state funding since it was first mooted. But they went sniffing for Commonwealth money instead.

Wellcamp.... I am not sure why to even spent time discussing the need of purpose build open air quarantine facility.
Come on, we are talking about semi-temporary dog boxes set up in the bush.
The cost of it is negligible for the state looking to host #Brisbane2032
Even if there will be no future pandemics, new variants and spread among unvaccinated like in US - they can use it now to increase much needed arrival cap.
Just that is already enough to justify the cost.

Secondly, very soon QLD will see same covid numbers as NSW, its inevitable.
And after opening up with 70-80% vaccination rates it will spread like bushfire in children and antivaxxers.
With patients in major hospitals already ramped on regular basis with zero covid - it is very real chance they they will be forced to use Howard Springs-like facilities as overflow makeshift hospitals.
Sourcing equipment and medical staff is another issue.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Sydney covid-positive fugitive finally arrest at a Wentworth Point unit.

 

[burmans]

So you could have a larger gathering in a park as long as you sat in multiple groups of 5 adults with reasonable distance between them outside the hotspot LGA’s.

There's always one who tries to stretch the rules.

 

[burmans]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1430739940569059333

Lets hope this isnt true.

Typical Sky reporting, report on one person who has Covid in ICU and has been vaccinated, not the 100 who haven't been vaccinated.

 

[justinbrett]

Typical Sky reporting, report on one person who has Covid in ICU and has been vaccinated, not the 100 who haven't been vaccinated.

This has not been reported by sky.

 

[Must...Fly!]

Probably about time this happened, in the context of staff being vaccinated and more of the community...

Furlough shift to fortify hospital workforce, give fully vaccinated freedom to work

The move comes as the Victorian government activated a fourth COVID-19 hospital in response to the growing outbreak at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

www.theage.com.au

 

[pagingjoan]

Amazing.

 

[Pom-DownUnder]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1430739940569059333

Lets hope this isnt true.

Vaccines give really really really really good protection against hospitalisation, not total impunity, there will be casualties still from this virus even a year from now, we just need the media to be responsible and not start fearmongering re vaccines.

 

[Must...Fly!]

Vaccines give really really really really good protection against hospitalisation, not total impunity, there will be casualties still from this virus even a year from now, we just need the media to be responsible and not start fearmongering re vaccines.

We also don't know of any pre existing conditions. Nor should we actually. People need to accept it's possible, not sure why it should fall on the family of this nurse who is obviously in a serious predicament to release that information.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Yes, far from a myth.

Your report mirrors my experience in Melbourne. My city-centre dentist was open briefly, between lockdowns. Fortunately, I was able to book an appointment. No hope these past few weeks, though, for family members seeking appointments, and no bookings on offer for coming weeks.

Not a myth, urban or otherwise.

For Victoria, I don't know whether the DHHS essential worker list applies at the moment and whether there are any other versions in existence, but a version I read said dentists could only conduct dental services to treat facial swelling, facial trauma and severe unrelenting pain.

A Victorian dental association says:

Dental restrictions in metropolitan Melbourne​

The lockdown for metropolitan Melbourne was extended until midnight Thursday 2 September 2021.

A curfew operates from 9pm to 5am every night. Permits will be required to leave the house for authorised work, consistent with the arrangements that were in place last year. Authorised workers will be required to carry permits when working and when travelling for work from 11:59pm Tuesday 17 August. The permit needs to be certified by an employer. Permits are available from the coronavirus website.

Dental practitioners in metropolitan Melbourne are still only permitted to provide dental services for the management of patients with urgent needs or care where failure to do so in a clinically appropriate timeframe will lead to adverse outcomes. These restrictions are part of the Restricted Activity Directions issued by the Victorian Government under the authority of the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 (Vic) and are legally binding. Penalties apply for failure to comply with these restrictions.

Restrictions on dental services are designed to balance the need to access necessary dental care with the reduction of movement of people in the community. This should guide clinical decision making. Clinicians should take a risk-based approach during this period. There is more information here to provide guidance. The ADAVB won’t provide specific advice on what treatment can or cannot be provided – dentists must exercise their clinical judgement to determine whether a delay in care will lead to adverse outcomes.

For NSW, the authorised worker list is vague on dental. Dental is not specifically mentioned in the list. Only healthcare and social services is the closest relevant broad category. You need a lawyer or industry association to find out if dental is a health or medical service as defined by a specific State legislation that more generally applies to public hospitals. While the authorised worker list only applies to residents of LGAs of concern, a person could only safely said everything in that industry is open if the authorised worker list applied to that category.

Interestingly, a NSW dental association says (their bolding):

Updated advice from the Dental Council of NSW​

As of Thursday 12 August, the Dental Council of NSW released advice for all dental practitioners in NSW regarding the regulatory requirements for limiting dental practise during this current outbreak.

In accordance with this advice, all NSW dental practitioners should take a risk-based approach to deferring dental care with a view to reducing movement of people in the community. During this time, dental practitioners must exercise their clinical judgement to determine whether a delay in dental care would lead to adverse patient outcomes.

All dental practitioners across NSW at the moment are limited to the provision of either essential or urgent/emergency dental care only. The reason for this dental care should be clearly documented in the patient record.

Practitioners outside the 12 LGAs of concern in NSW are limited to the provision of essential dental care.

Practitioners within the 12 LGAs of concern in Greater Sydney are limited to the provision of urgent/emergency dental care only.

*The 12 LGAs of concern include Bayside, Blacktown, Burwood, Campbelltown, Canterbury-Bankstown, coughberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Liverpool, Parramatta, Strathfield, and 12 suburbs of Penrith.

 

[burmans]

This has not been reported by sky.

He’s a Sky reporter trying to make a story out of it, just because he hasn’t done so yet doesn’t mean he won’t/isn’t looking to.

 

[justinbrett]

He’s a Sky reporter trying to make a story out of it, just because he hasn’t done so yet doesn’t mean he won’t/isn’t looking to.

I’m not sticking up for him, I personally don’t like him at all - I’m just saying it hasn’t met the threshold for broadcasting on sky. So your criticism of sky is unwarranted.

We could play the game of looking at ABC tweets but let’s not.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Echuca/Moama Exposure Site

I just had a look at the Vic Exposure list and there is now a Tier 2 Site at Echuca which is the Aldi Echuca 218/208- 222 Anstruther Street, which is only several hundred metres from NSW across the bridge over the Murray River where Moama is located.



Exposure period is Friday 20/08/2021 5:10pm - 5:55pm.

Presumably this will be linked with the Shepparton Cluster. Note that the first positive Shepparton test result was found on the morning of the 20th, which is the same day that this exposure occurred.

No other details are known as yet. It was posted up at 9.55PM and so quite possibly only returned their postive result some time today.

Echuca is only a 50 minute drive to Shepparton. So it could be an Echuca local who went to or who works in Shepparton, or a visitor from Shepparton who went to Echuca possibly for the weekend etc. Or they may have only been passing theough Echuca.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Got to wonder how close the exposure was to the Sunrise program

Channel Seven's Martin Place studio has been deep cleaned overnight after an employee tested positive to Covid-19.

A Seven West Media spokesman said Friday's production was still planned to go ahead "at this time", confirming all staff will be offered rapid antigen tests in response.

Its Martin Place studio is where programs including Sunrise and Seven News are filmed.

A number of close contacts have been forced into isolation after the employee tested positive after being identified as a close contact of another positive case unrelated to the network. The person is double vaccinated and asymptomatic, the spokesman told the Sydney Morning Herald.

The employee worked at the Martin Place studio on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday on early morning shifts but it is unclear if any of the network's major stars have been affected.

 

[jakeseven7]

Got to wonder how close the exposure was to the Sunrise program

We can only hope
Thoughts and prayers.

 

[moa999]

The cynic in me says that the entire state of NSW will be an LGA of concern by the time the new 'freedoms' come into effect.

R value varies by suburb.
By rights you'd expect Waverley (Bondi Jn, Bondi Beach, Vaucluse) to be in the hundreds by now given it was the scene of the first outbreaks.

But only 10 cases in the past week, putting it way down the LGA list, even on a pop adjusted basis.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

From Esptein:

Hearing today’s Vic Covid number is lower than yday (80) but not by much


Though the breakdown of that will be the important part.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

VicGovDH
@VicGovDH

Replying to
@VicGovDH
Of the 79 locally-acquired cases, 53 are linked to known outbreaks and 26 are under investigation. Further case information will be provided this morning. [2/2]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1431018674056433665