Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[lovetravellingoz]

e.

Hopefully NSW will have learnt lessons as Covid will soon be giving its next test.

Well if any aged care facility is today still allowing visitors in NSW (excepting say residents who are in palliative care) the answer is no.

Some aged care in Vic including the one most severely hit were still allowing visitors until very recently. The more strict ones went into lockdown in late June when it was clear that there was some community spread up and about. 80 and of 430 odd aged care facilities have had cases in Victoria.

The issue of allowing some workers to work shifts at multiple aged care facilities, and even hospitals, is something that all states were blind to despite spread issues due to this in multiple states. Indeed the issues, of which there are numerous (no sick leave, low income, low cash reserves, needing money each and every week etc etc) with lowly paid workers of all types has had little specific measures throughout the pandemic apart from Jobkeeper/Jobseeker.

 

[drron]

They could allow visitors-say 1 per day for an hour with PPE and distancing.The effects of total isolation from family is too cruel.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

In Vic today: 6 fatalities. 4 from private sector aged care.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

7NEWS Melbourne

@7NewsMelbourne
·
2m

Victoria has recorded 384 new cases of COVID-19 overnight and 6 more deaths. Premier
@DanielAndrewsMP
and Health Minister
@JennyMikakos
with today's briefing. http://7news.link/coronavirus #7NEWS

 

[dajop]

Indeed the issues, of which there are numerous (no sick leave, low income, low cash reserves, needing money each and every week etc etc) with lowly paid workers of all types has had little specific measures throughout the pandemic apart from Jobkeeper/Jobseeker.

Yes, it seems that low paid casual workforces have been a great ally of this virus. Be they aged care workers, healthcare workers, security guards, or probably other types, all conduits for spread of the virus. Not blaming the workers, there's certainly enough issues in multiple settings to suggest systemic failures.

 

[jakeseven7]

Did anyone see Q&A last night?

The guy was arguing for elimination of community transfer (which is now officially our national goal apparently), but for that to occur both NSW and VIC would need to go into full lockdown - so that would need Dan and Gladys to align and coordinate....

Chances of that happening?...

 

[lovetravellingoz]

From Dan and Sutton today.

Most aged care cases, and fatalities, are in the private sector aged care.

Vic public sector Registered Nurses are now being deployed to assist the Federal Gov at these aged care facilities, plus other measures (as I mentioned recently Aged Care is under the oversight of Federal Gov and not state/territory governments).

Did anyone see Q&A last night?

The guy was arguing for elimination of community transfer (which is now officially our national goal apparently), but for that to occur both NSW and VIC would need to go into full lockdown - so that would need Dan and Gladys to align and coordinate....

Chances of that happening?...

In Vic, most of the spread/ cases/fatalities at present are in areas generally regarded as essential and so would normally have to still operate in a full lockdown.

NSW seems to be mainly via restaurants and pubs, which is not a full lockdown measure (Edit as in would be introduced earlier). So perhaps clamping down on this would be done first if the contract tracing/isolation measure is not deemed to be sufficient.

 

[jakeseven7]

NSW seems to be mainly via restaurants and pubs, which is not a full lockdown measure. So perhaps clamping down o this would be done if the contract tracing/isolation measure is not deemed to be sufficient.

Its not sufficient, that was his point, the guy was arguing that, the cases are either going up or down, so NSW with its current approach is just going to keep motoring along until it hits a vulnerable population or a dense population like a factory/abbatoir/school etc and it will explode again. So he was arguing, do it now, do it hard and NSW and VIC need to coordinate.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Its not sufficient, that was his point, the guy was arguing that, the cases are either going up or down, so NSW with its current approach is just going to keep motoring along until it hits a vulnerable population or a dense population like a factory/abbatoir/school etc and it will explode again. So he was arguing, do it now, do it hard and NSW and VIC need to coordinate.

I am not disagreeing that the current approach may not need extra measures. With NSW all I was suggesting that as a key issue at present seems to be spread through restaurants and pubs that further measures could be implemented there first, and indeed I have been somewhat surprised that this has not already occurred as it seems that new cases just keep happening daily through these premises. Remember too that full lockdown will cause some deaths too from non-Covid19 reasons.

With Vic most cases at present are in aged care and in food supply chains. The trouble is that the elderly still have to be cared for and 6 million people still need to eat. So these two sectors cannot be completely shut down. That is not to say that some food related businesses cannot be shut down. Indeed some have already been at least for certain periods..

VIC HOSPITALISED
Cases in Hospital

DATE	HOSP	ICU	VENT
Wed 22 Jul	205	40	24
Thu 23 Jul	201	40	24
Fri 24 Jul	206	41
Sat 25 Jul	229	42
Sun 26 Jul	228	42	21
Mon 27 Jul	245	44	23
Tue 28 Jul	260	45	23

The positivity rate which really spiked up in the results released yesterday, have reduced somewhat but is still at a high level.

VIC POSITIVE TESTS
Daily Confirmed Cases / Daily Test Results

DATE	CASES	TESTS	POS
Wed 22 Jul	450	24,726	1.82 %
Thu 23 Jul	386	27,151	1.42 %
Fri 24 Jul	280	24,118	1.16 %
Sat 25 Jul	339	20,313	1.67 %
Sun 26 Jul	437	42,973	1.02 %
Mon 27 Jul	515	17,588	2.93 %
Tue 28 Jul	353	18,521	1.91 %

Post automatically merged: Jul 28, 2020

Dan also just confirmed that tests are being prioritised in terms of which tests are processed first.

 

[Must...Fly!]

The positivity rate which really spiked up in the results released yesterday, have reduced somewhat but is still at a high level.

VIC POSITIVE TESTS
Daily Confirmed Cases / Daily Test Results

DATE	CASES	TESTS	POS
Wed 22 Jul	450	24,726	1.82 %
Thu 23 Jul	386	27,151	1.42 %
Fri 24 Jul	280	24,118	1.16 %
Sat 25 Jul	339	20,313	1.67 %
Sun 26 Jul	437	42,973	1.02 %
Mon 27 Jul	515	17,588	2.93 %
Tue 28 Jul	353	18,521	1.91 %

Post automatically merged: Jul 28, 2020

Dan also just confirmed that tests are being prioritised in terms of which tests are processed first.

Are these ratios even useful? Tests conducted over last 24hrs vs results returned over last 24hrs, they are not like for like given the understandable lag between being tested & the swab being processed by the lab...

They could allow visitors-say 1 per day for an hour with PPE and distancing.The effects of total isolation from family is too cruel.

I couldn't have said it any better drron. These people are sadly, but indeed toward the end of their lives and starving them of all contact with family in order to prolong their lives is also cruel. We need some perspective and a more realistic outlook.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Not sure anyone uothread has passed on NSW report today

14 case
- 6 linked to funeral
- 4 linked to Thai Rock Wetherill Park
- 1 linked to Thai Rock Potts Point
- 1 linked to The Apollo Potts Point
- 1 from Vic
- 1 overseas arrival in quarantine

 

[Flying mermaid]

Thanks. Interesting info re ICU. I'm still surprised another parent could give it to someone else's child in that environment.

Well from my recent experience with Ms FM. There were two levels of neo natal. When Bub was first born she was in a humidicrib and in an area of her own. That was for the first week, then she was transferred to a more general neonatal ward, where the babies were in open cribs, but still had access to oxygen, various drips. You had to wash your hands before entering, but I would have thought in an environment like that, cross infection would be relatively easy. Also mums would take a baby out of the crib to sit in a chair to feed. So unless chairs were being sanitised after a mother got up, before another sat down, that’s another potential area.

Post automatically merged: Jul 28, 2020

Not sure anyone uothread has passed on NSW report today

14 case
- 6 linked to funeral
- 4 linked to Thai Rock Wetherill Park
- 1 linked to Thai Rock Potts Point
- 1 linked to The Apollo Potts Point
- 1 from Vic
- 1 overseas arrival in quarantine

Sigh - so funeral cluster is growing

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Are these ratios even useful? Tests conducted over last 24hrs vs results returned over last 24hrs, they are not like for like given the understandable lag between being tested & the swab being processed by the lab...

I think that you would always taken any one days results in any measure with a huge grain of salt. And my comments reflect that. Indeed yesterday I speculated that the spike may well have been contributed to a bulge in tests being done that were more likely to be Covid 19 positive. So hence the cohort from day to day may have considerable biases in them.

The high positivity rate over the course of the week though, where more than 1 in 100 people who present for symptomatic testing are testing positive is a concern and indicates the degree of community spread about.

 

[jakeseven7]

Sigh - so funeral cluster is growing

As we’ve been chit chatting I think it’s going to be big, the infected person clearly ‘hands on’ across the Sydney funeral services.

It really feels like a ticking time bomb there, they have just been very very lucky so far it hasn’t jumped to a dense or vulnerable population, yet.

 

[drron]

In Vic, most of the spread/ cases/fatalities at present are in areas generally regarded as essential and so would normally have to still operate in a full lockdown.

NSW seems to be mainly via restaurants and pubs, which is not a full lockdown measure (Edit as in would be introduced earlier). So perhaps clamping down on this would be done first if the contract tracing/isolation measure is not deemed to be sufficient.

I am really not sure what you are trying to argue here.Whether aged care is private (the great majority is ) or public the responsibility for managing this pandemic has been taken on by the States,particularly in Victoria.

No matter how much you and Dan argue to the contrary the major cause of this second spike in Victoria was the failure in mandatory hotel quarantine and that was managed by the State Government.

Note that under the new manslaughter in the workplace legislation where penalties became effective from 1/7/2020 there may well be cases against the Government for any death since that date,
www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/victorias-new-workplace-manslaughter-offences

Governments are not exempt.

Who can be charged with workplace manslaughter?

Organisations and self-employed persons
Organisations and self-employed persons who hold specified duties under the OHS Act (as outlined below) can be prosecuted for the offence of workplace manslaughter. Organisations include:

• bodies corporate (for example, registered companies)
• incorporated associations
• statutory authorities
• trustee of a trust
• unincorporated bodies and unincorporated associations
• partnerships
• government entities.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Well from my recent experience with Ms FM. There were two levels of neo natal. When Bub was first born she was in a humidicrib and in an area of her own. That was for the first week, then she was transferred to a more general neonatal ward, where the babies were in open cribs, but still had access to oxygen, various drips. You had to wash your hands before entering, but I would have thought in an environment like that, cross infection would be relatively easy. Also mums would take a baby out of the crib to sit in a chair to feed. So unless chairs were being sanitised after a mother got up, before another sat down, that’s another potential area.

In this case I am not sure that the actual a infection path has been as yet determined, though it is suspected that a visiting parent may have bought it in. People can be very infectious at the pre-symptomatic phase.

In addition with the hospitals that I know about they tend to operate with covid possible, covid probable and covid positive protocols. The covid possible protocols have been tightened in Vic due to the current high level of community spread.

Covid positive protocols can interfere with the ability to give care and so are not used for every patient. As HappyFlyerFamily as already indicated babies need to have close contact for various reasons.



With high levels of community spread some transmission can still happen even with the strictest of protocols. However the strictest protocols are not used for all care as I have noted. Even in the best run hospital there will be some transmission inside of the hospital from time to time. Moreso with high levels of community transmission, and moreso again in hospitals get overloaded as we have seen in Italy, Spain , NY etc but which has not yet been the case in Australia.

 

[drron]

BLM protestors arrested including the organiser who said it was going ahead regardless.

BLM organiser arrested as rally goes ahead

A Black Lives Matter protest in Sydney has been busted up by police before it even began, with organiser Paddy Gibson being escorted into State Parliament by Greens MP Jenny Leong after he was arrested and fined.

www.news.com.au

 

[lovetravellingoz]

No matter how much you and Dan argue to the contrary the major cause of this second spike in Victoria was the failure in mandatory hotel quarantine and that was managed by the State Government.

My bolding

Quite frankly your statement is insulting and 100% wrong.

When have I ever stated that about hotel quarantine in Victoria? Indeed my posts of the failure of hotel quarantine are the polar opposite of your assertion.

 

[jakeseven7]

BREAKING: Virus cases close inner city Sydney yacht club as clusters continue to grow


A Sydney yacht club has been forced to close for cleaning after two members of the club tested positive for COVID-19.

Cruising Yacht Club of Australia in Darling Point has closed its Clubhouse until further notice for deep cleaning and testing of staff.

It comes after an active member of the club and their partner tested positive for coronavirus.

"The Club, as part of its COVIDSafe plan, is working with NSW Health on next steps," the club said in a statement.

Coronavirus: Live updates from NSW

A woman who left quarantine to get a visa, three men who went to work and a local pub owner who claimed not to speak English are among the latest to cop police fines for breaching public health orders.

www.news.com.au

 

[jakeseven7]

And as everyone predicted, QLD inches another step closer to completely closing the border with NSW, advising QLD'ers not to travel there.

Great, we have loads of travel booked (for work)....

---
Queenslanders advised not to travel to NSW

Queensland's Premier has warned residents not to travel to News South Wales.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk reiterates she is indeed poised to "slam" the state's southern border shut if community transmission explodes in New South Wales.

"I would advise Queenslanders at the moment to not travel to New South Wales," she said.

As it happened: Victoria records 384 new COVID-19 cases as NSW cluster growth places inner-Sydney residents on high alert, Australian death toll jumps to 167

If you suspect you or a family member has coronavirus you should call (not visit) your GP or ring the national Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.

www.smh.com.au