Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[antycbr]

50 staff at the Royal Hobart Hospital have tested positive. Public Health state that these infections were acquired in the community, not at work. Multiple elective procedures have been postponed. Wards, ICU, Emergency and theatres were all short staffed before the border was opened. Numerous senior nurses left to go to vaccination and testing hubs.
There is only one public hospital supplying the southern half of the state.
Next door the private hospital has announced that there will no cardiac electrophysiological cases scheduled for at least a month (pacemakers, ablation procedures). I am sure other specialties will also be affected.
Yes, we can be very happy that we have low numbers of Covid patients in ICU, on ventilators. But what about all of the other work that had the system bulging at the seams prior to the pandemic?

Unfortunately, if any part of the healthcare system thought they would be unscathed by the pandemic they were mistaken. At some point you have to face it.

 

[Quickstatus]

We all have to wear the consequences

Yes. If we believe in Universal Health Care then the financial consequences of illness is worn by the community, not the individual.
......

if any part of the healthcare system thought they would be unscathed

Which part is that?

 

[love_the_life]

Just received my PCR result. Positive. Second time around for me after a bout early on in March 2020.

Somehow I managed to get tested in a drive through with only a 3 hour wait yesterday and get my results back early this morning.

Heavy cold and a slightly sore throat. Trying to isolate from the rest of the household which includes 3 other adults and two young children. I managed to successfully isolate with the original strain but remains to be seen this time. Hope I'm wrong but I suspect it wont be as successful this time around.

Was due for my booster on Jan 24th so I will now need to see what the advice is around that after being positive.

Sorry to hear that. Good luck with isolating though possibly the rest of the household are positive as well, although may be asymptomatic. Good luck with booster - not sure what the rules are. Does a case mean that you will have immunity and so will have booster much later?

 

[N860CR]

In reality, why not just do tests for a reason
How about this:
(a) if symptomatic - isolate until asymptomatic, test unnecessary unless the symptoms mean you have to seek medical treatment
(b) if asymptomatic and a close contact then isolate for 7 days so long as still asymptomatic. Dont need to do a test
(c) only do a RAT if need to go back to work if (b) and within 7 day period.
(d) PCR reserved for those who present to hospital otherwise RAT

100% agree with you. But we’re making RAT available to only a select few. So that kills your plan.

 

[Quickstatus]

Does a case mean that you will have immunity and so will have booster much later?

ATAGI is silent on that - only that Any CovidJab whether Jab 1, Jab2 Jab3, should be given to asymptomatic people.

Note that Booster doses are NOT mandatory

Again read the ATAGI statement re boosters - do you really need it?
Personally I believe that there is additional immunity conferred by a Covid infection - just like any other infection since immunity became a thing in evolutional history. Seems silly to think that only a Vax can provide immunity?
So a booster may in fact be moot for those who are CovidJab1,2 + CovidInfection.
Is "more is better" correct?. I have doubts.

Having said that I observe that most people will want a booster - hey its "free". and "more is better"?

 

[antycbr]

Which part is that?

To expect everything in healthcare to continue as normal with all elective surgery and everything else in the middle of a worldwide global pandemic was never realistic.

The amount of staff diverted into vaccination and testing alone is significant.

 

[Quickstatus]

To expect everything in healthcare to continue as normal with all elective surgery

I dont think anyone in healthcare ever thought that.
It was all about managing the numbers.

That is different to the debate re further lockdowns based on daily case numbers

 

[antycbr]

I dont think anyone in healthcare ever thought that.
It was all about managing the numbers.

That is different to the debate re further lockdowns based on daily case numbers

The original poster was implying it, which is why I posted.

 

[Quickstatus]

But we’re making RAT available to only a select few

The availability of RAT remains the same subject to supply which some corners are accusing other corners of limiting supply to jack up the prices.

Concessional pricing does not change availability

 

[nutwood]

Actually the people who cant afford it tend to be the ones who need them the most.
PCR are free (bulkbilled) to all. Why not at least make RATS free to concession holders.

Basically if people cant afford RATS, they will just line up for a PCR.

Also concession holders often have to rely on public transport, often have medical comorbidities and are basically among the most vulnerable in the community. For them trying to go from pharmac_ to pharmac_ trying to find a RAT would be an imposition that for most would be too great.

The PBS operates along almost the same lines. concession and pensioner card holders have an entitlement to concessional benefits. Instead of paying up to $42, the concessional benefit discounts this to $6.80 at most.

In reality, why not just do tests for a reason
How about this:
(a) if symptomatic - isolate until asymptomatic, test unnecessary unless the symptoms mean you have to seek medical treatment
(b) if asymptomatic and a close contact then isolate for 7 days so long as still asymptomatic. Dont need to do a test
(c) only do a RAT if need to go back to work if (b) and within 7 day period.
(d) PCR reserved for those who present to hospital otherwise RAT

This reads remarkably like common sense but I'm thinking that you may have employed faulty logic. You are providing comment, free of charge, on a frequent flyer forum. How can your opinion make more sense than that of our revered leaders, who've had unlimited resources and months to plan?

 

[Quickstatus]

How can your opinion make more sense

You are quite right, though I do have QF WP status and 4 WP bag tags. Surely that elevates my importance??

 

[nutwood]

You are quite right, though I do have QF WP status and 4 WP bag tags. Surely that elevates my importance??

Not exactly CL though...?

 

[Quickstatus]

The only reason I can see for doing PCR apart from entering hospitals is to distract the media from casting a journalistic eye on other important matters.

Maybe that’s why I’m not an epidemiologist

 

[Quickstatus]

CL

I don’t want to be CL. I would have to make daily announcements

 

[nutwood]

I don’t want to be CL. I would have to make daily announcements

Your announcements couldn't be worse than the current.
Have a relaxed lunch, throw a few ideas around and chuck something to the media pack mid-afternoon. Doesn't matter, it's all emergency stuff and if social media reacts badly, you can come up with something different tomorrow .

 

[jase05]

Going to be chaos at airports and massive freight delays today with all the cancellations. JQ has cancelled 13 flights out of MEL before 12pm today with further cancellations in the arvo. Looking likely that at least 30 flights out of MEL will be cancelled this morning with VA also being hit hard. Other ports around Australia in a similar situation too it seems.

 

[Lynda2475]

Im sitting in QF Business lounge at SYD right now and board is chockers, cant see any cancellations listed. When i was here last week there were a few.

 

[jase05]

Im sitting in QF Business lounge at SYD right now and board is chockers, cant see any cancellations listed. When i was here last week there were a few.

We got notification this morning at 4:30am that at this stage 26 JQ/QF flights were already cancelled out of SYD. Majority are JQ and has already been half a dozen this morning

 

[Must...Fly!]

We got notification this morning at 4:30am that at this stage 26 JQ/QF flights were already cancelled out of SYD. Majority are JQ and has already been half a dozen this morning

VA is going through some pain too as you mentioned. Long wait on hold just now to sort a rescheduled flight. But efficiently sorted once picked up. Full load in J yesterday from Melbourne up to Sydney.

 

[jase05]

VA is going through some pain too as you mentioned. Long wait on hold just now to sort a rescheduled flight. But efficiently sorted once picked up. Full load in J yesterday from Melbourne up to Sydney.

I have noticed a stack of VA cancellations but obviously we don’t get the data or heads up on them