Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[drron]

Tasmania's results from today.


8 of the 22 in hospital are being treated for covid,14 for other problems.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

SA also making it mandatory to report positive RAT result​

Steven Marshall says there are some changes happening from tomorrow:

• Close contacts can register on SA Health website and can organise to pick up free RAT from supersite in Southern Parklands (this is for close contacts identified from today, not backdated). People will be sent a receipt. Says there will be capacity for 13,000 tomorrow. Is talk to open other sites around the state
• Mandatory for a positive result to be reported on SA Health. Not required to report a negative test
• Once have a positive RAT, no longer required to get a corroborative PCR result

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

So how do those of us in NSW without smart phones, and thus without the Service NSW App, register a positive RAT?

-technological Dinosaur

Hi TD,

You can report the results on the Service NSW website or the NSW Premier said you can also call them. The number is 13 77 88.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Queensland Health Minister questions NSW mandating reporting of positive RAT result​

After Dominic Perrottet's announcement this morning that New South Wales will be mandating the reporting of positive RAT results or risk a $1,000 fine, Queensland doesn't look like it's going to go the same way.

"I think the question for NSW is how are they going to monitor that?" Yvette D'Ath says.

"How are you going to know that someone's got a positive test in a home kit at home and haven't reported it?

"Are you going to start asking people in the household to start dobbing them in?

"I just don't know how they're going to monitor it, and is that the best use of resources right now?"

 

[SydneySwan]

Reporting of positive RAT results is mandatory from January 1, Perrottet says​

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet is speaking in Sydney.

He says that from 9am AEDT, the function to report a positive RAT result has been live in the Service NSW app.

He says it will be mandatory to report positive results since January 1, and a $1,000 fine may apply for failing to do so.

"This health order has been signed off this morning and in terms of enforcement, if someone fails to register a positive rapid antigen test, there will be a $1000 fine and there will be a grace period, I spoke to the Police Commissioner this morning, Karen Webb, and enforcement of the this fine will come in in one week's time, from the 19th of January."

He says it is simple to do so and will only take a couple of minutes. He says there will also be a function to report any other underlying conditions or pregnancy.

Talk about policy on the run ...

 

[Lynda2475]

it is helpful for a GP to know if a patient is being provided extra monitoring or if eligible for prophylactic treatments.

Only if the GP already has the positive person as an existing patient, and even then only if the patient agreed to the sharing of that private information with the GP.

I maintain all information should always come directly to the positive case, lots of people do not have a regular GP and would see zero reason to complicate their case management by needing to involve a stranger.

 

[Lynda2475]

I just don't know how they're going to monitor it,

Because as I have stated numerous times, they wont be monitoring that. Hazard also said so on Monday,

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Talk about policy on the run ...

The media flagged the change in direction yesterday or the day before. Apparently CHO wanted a better view of positives in the community. I'm curious what the rules are for those who RAT+, but then got a followup PCR+ (or PCR-).

And here on AFF we got a few instances (members and friends, etc) with subsequent PCR-

 

[Pushka]

I'd not be advising the GP if I had tested positive because I know they would simply tell me to call 000 anyway. Seems a pointless exercise. Would I advise SA Health for a personally obtained RAT? Not likely but I'd isolate and tell contacts.

 

[jakeseven7]

I'd not be advising the GP if I had tested positive because I know they would simply tell me to call 000 anyway.

That's very basic protocol if that's true in SA. That isn't the case in other states, but in SA, nothing surprises me anymore.

 

[Lynda2475]

That's very basic protocol

I think you will find that is not a general SA protocol but specific advice to Pushka given her pre-existing conditions, why waste time looping in the GP when his advice would be call 000

 

[lovetravellingoz]

ABC reporting on Omicron from Dr Kerry Chant :

NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant says they have been working with a company to try to determine the proportion of Omicron and Delta variant infections.​

​

One of the pathology companies tracks this through the "S gene". She says the S gene drops out in Omicron cases.​

​

"We've got data from the company progressively to track the proportion of Delta and Omicron and what we are sitting at is about 90 per cent now. We think 90% of the cases are Omicron about 10 per cent are Delta," she says.​

​

"Obviously that can be different in different geographical areas but that gives the community a broader understanding.​

"We have also been doing some work to understand the proportion in ICU of both Delta and Omicron and what we have seen is that early in December, from some of our sampling and we will report this in full once all the genome sequencing results are back, but as an indication in early December from the 1st to the 7th, 90 per cent of the cases sequenced in ICU were Delta and 10 per cent were Omicron. In the week of the 29 December to the 4 January we have seen that shift to 33 per Delta and 67 per cent Omicron."​

So over 4 weeks, new cases in NSW ICU have gone from being 10% Omicron to 67% Omicron

 

[Lynda2475]

ABC reports Queens;and CHO says "If you are unvaccinated, you are nine times more likely to end up in a Queensland hospital than if you are triple-vaxxed."

What about non-Queenslanders in non-Queensland hospitals ?

 

[Pushka]

That's very basic protocol if that's true in SA. That isn't the case in other states, but in SA, nothing surprises me anymore.

Yes but I can pretty much deal with anything I’d call the GP for.

 

[jakeseven7]

Yes but I can pretty much deal with anything I’d call the GP for.

Oh so you were being flippant. I was going to say, that is absolutely not the protocol for primary care treatment of covid in the community, I thought SA had lost the plot - again

 

[VPS]

What would happen if they tried to do this in Australia

No vax? Pay a tax, Quebec authorities say as Canadian health system struggles

Canada's Quebec province is planning to force adults refusing to get COVID-19 vaccinations to pay a "health contribution".

www.abc.net.au

 

[Pushka]

Oh so you were being flippant. I was going to say, that is absolutely not the protocol for primary care treatment of covid in the community, I thought SA had lost the plot - again

Nah. Just me and knowing what to do and what to watch for. Having got an idea from what our son had this week. I’ve got the fever relief and an oximeter from Wave 1. But I expect my GP may well be telling others a similar thing. Besides, I’m on hydroxychloroquine!

 

[SydneySwan]

What would happen if they tried to do this in Australia

No vax? Pay a tax, Quebec authorities say as Canadian health system struggles

Canada's Quebec province is planning to force adults refusing to get COVID-19 vaccinations to pay a "health contribution".

www.abc.net.au

No doubt anti-vaxxers would take to the streets in protest. Personally I would support it.

 

[andye]

Only if the GP already has the positive person as an existing patient, and even then only if the patient agreed to the sharing of that private information with the GP.

I maintain all information should always come directly to the positive case, lots of people do not have a regular GP and would see zero reason to complicate their case management by needing to involve a stranger.

I still think you have misunderstood th intention of a the (ambiguously-worded) information.
They wouldn't be able to share information with a GP that you are not registered to. The public health service would of course know too
Personally I'd be more than happy to have a highly-trained medical professional involved in my home Covid care, particularly as one of a GPs specialist skills is domiciliary management of illness and recognition of when hospital referral is appropriate.
(And most of those who will be registering their RATs aren't specialist physicians or even avid devourers of information on the internet.)

 

[Lynda2475]

And you can choose to involve your GP if you wish, however I think you are over estimating how much actual care a GP is able to provide remotely in the current environment, and more so if they have never met you in person.

There is plenty of press coverage of GPs whinging about being inundated and not being able to treat actual sick people because of covid questions and unnecessary telehealth home covid appointments due to directives saying contact a GP when it isn't necessary.

So if one does not want a GP involved, they should still be entitled to receive all the information re what thresholds indicate need for a hospital admission, what drugs they may be eligible to manage illness etc and can then take action if they choose to seek out a prescription or further care.

I am more than capable of taking my own temperature, pulse (using heart rate monitor), check my blood oxygen (using an oximeter) then checking these and other symptoms against guidelines (if provided) to decide whether to call 000.

And most of those who will be registering their RATs aren't s avid devourers of information on the internet

I disagree. Overwhelming majority of people testing positive are under 40. They have likely had to go online to procure RATs, and need some internet proficiency to have been able to download the app and register the test result in the first place. In the 16-40 cohort it is to be expected that more people will have used the internet to seek covid information, shop for iso supplies etc than would have a regular GP.