Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[lovetravellingoz]

CovidVictoria

A live and interactive map of confirmed/active coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Victoria, grouped by Local Government Area (LGA).

covidvictoria.com

It shows a map and details changes.

There does seem to be some discussion about whether some of the regional cases are actually in Melbourne, with the location being assigned based on a persons recorded address. In other words, some of the regional cases may not have been in the regions at all.

Another good site for an overall picture is here: Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Australia | Data

You can also get data per postcode each day via covidlive.com.au or graphically from the Vic DHHS site. Note today's data not yet out by LGA or Postcode.

This is for yesterday:

 

[dajop]

CovidVictoria

A live and interactive map of confirmed/active coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Victoria, grouped by Local Government Area (LGA).

covidvictoria.com

There does seem to be some discussion about whether some of the regional cases are actually in Melbourne, with the location being assigned based on a persons recorded address. In other words, some of the regional cases may not have been in the regions at all.

From local media, many of the cases in Geelong, Bendigo and Ballarat are actually in those cities, but for some of the shires with single cases, it may well be arguable. Rumour has it that is based on the address on your medicare card, not sure if that is true or not. An example documented in media, is the single active case in the Mildura Rural City, where the person with the virus, acquired it in hospital in Melbourne, and remained in Melbourne in hotel isolation.

Victoria adds 394 coronavirus cases, Mildura status unchanged

VICTORIA on Sunday reported 17 new deaths due to the coronavirus and 394 new cases.

www.sunraysiadaily.com.au

 

[NM]

...and given the time frame for testing, the only thing they will be able to say with reasonable confidence is that "on average in an average person (does this exist) it seems to be effective in x% of people for y period of time".

I quite often feel pretty average ....

 

[Flying mermaid]

And like the app, this should lead to some interesting discussion / debates / rules / laws about whether governments, businesses etc can or should make it a condition of entry. How would you (in a general sense) feel if a restaurant or airline refused you entry because you weren't vaccinated? On the flip side, would you be comfortable flying / eating somewhere with people that weren't vaccinated?

Assuming of course the vaccine is safe, effective and a million other things. I think of the bit in the movie Contagion where people have wristbands to prove their vaccination status.

I don’t see why it’s any different to yellow fever vaccination. If you don’t carry your yellow fever vaccination proof with you, good luck getting into various countries. Why not extend that to corona virus, if the vaccine is safe and effective and also extend it to being able to go out and about.

yesterday Mr FM went for a virus test - we were pretty sure he didn’t have it, given we have no cases in the ACT, but he wanted to do the right thing. I had a hair appointment yesterday and I phoned and asked the owner of the salon what she wanted me to do. She said if it was OK with me she would prefer me not to come in. I respected that - if for some reason he was positive and by extension I was carrying it, then the impact on a little business like hers would have been huge.

so what’s wrong with business being allowed to say they only want to deal with vaccinated people. If we get enough people vaccinated then the few who can’t for genuine reasons are also protected.

 

[RooFlyer]

Oh dear.

Perhaps go the appropriate New Zealand thread on the cases in New Zealand where this was discussed days ago.

Oh dear? I was simply responding to your post, on this thread, a few days ago, where you described the NZ investigation of possible links between the cold storage company's facilities in Melbourne and NZ as 'a wild goose chase' because, as you subsequently highlighted in bold, that the company said there was no shipment from one to the other. The New Zealanders, in the article we've both seen and quoted in this thread, stated that they were interested in more than direct shipping links. Hence my thought that perhaps we can credit the NZers for knowing their stuff. I pay them the respect on knowing their own needs and objectives, rather than characterising their work as a 'wild goose chase' because of what a commercial company might claim. YMMV.

 

[Pushka]

Many South Australians argue it shouldn't be allowed while there is still a hard border closure with Victoria.

Including this little black duck

 

[RooFlyer]

Tas is having a press conference at 2pm......unusual, no? Bad news?

Has been unusual, as there's been nothing much to say. But Tas Premier's statement in Parliament yesterday that the state borders will be closed until at least Dec 1st because of the situation in Victoria hasn't gone down very well, especially when considering no community transmission for months now, and yet there are still restrictions in place - like must be seated in bars, small places uneconomical to open because of space rules etc. Still a state of Emergency in force. Why should there be restrictions on return from places like SA even now?

ABC radio this morning finally was a bit antsy, asking if it was really 'Health advice' to keep the border restrictions for all. Tourism operators really starting to squeal now. But the older-than-average Tas population, probably still on the whole supportive. Pensions continue to be paid, welfare the same.

 

[RooFlyer]

This is ridiculous. The Tas Premier yesterday made his announcement that the states borders will remain closed until "at least 1 December" to "give certainty to Tasmanians and Tasmanian businesses". That is, so we can plan accordingly.

Today, in Parliament, he's said that the borders could open sooner, if Vic and NSW get their outbreaks under control.

Utterly ridiculous. No certainly, only confusion.

Awaiting his presser now, but I dare say some backtracking on yesterday's announcement.

Post automatically merged: Aug 19, 2020

Tas Premier's opening words

"Clarifying yesterday's announcement"

 

[RooFlyer]

Tas Chief Medical Officer giving reasons for his advice to Govt. (me in brackets )

* "We don't have circulating corona virus" (IN fact, Tasmania has NO corona virus, circulating or otherwise; no active cases )
* Previously we've been ahead in relaxations (so what - now)
* Quarantine measures here very effective (effective for killing the economy, too)
* Always looking at Victoria to guide our thinking (yeah, right. How's that gone?)
* important consideration - public concern and fear. (Yeah, you react to fear, you don't try to allay it)
* We'll need time to communicate how we will mitigate the risk and allay the fear; need to bring the community along (Well, we are 3 or more months in ... I'm sure another 3 months more will do it. ).

I reckon this guy isn't going to change his advice until there is zero cases in Australia; and he may well factor in a buffer of a month or more just to be sure.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Just a quick poll: serious question

Which (Australian) jurisdiction does people think are doing the best decision making re borders and lockdown?

Perhaps they should create the national response indicators for the whole of Australia to follows.

I’m thinking put NT in charge. Seriously!

 

[Pushka]

Just a quick poll: serious question

Which jurisdiction does people think are doing the best decision making re borders and lockdown?

Perhaps they should create the national response indicators for the whole of Australia to follows.

I’m thinking put NT in charge. Seriously!

Some things SA is doing very well. Some things - truly bewildering. Other things - just plain wrong.

 

[SydneySwan]

Just a quick poll: serious question

Which (Australian) jurisdiction does people think are doing the best decision making re borders and lockdown?

Perhaps they should create the national response indicators for the whole of Australia to follows.

I’m thinking put NT in charge. Seriously!

None so I will be abstaining.

 

[RooFlyer]

Tas State Controller (Police Commissioner), one of the important figures for the Premier's decisions has just said that the Dec 1 date for Tas border re-opening "is under constant review". "It might be earlier, it might be later".

So contradicting the Premier 20 mins ago. You can't make this stuff up.

Has also just said that the State of Emergency expected to continue after next review, the end of the month. No COVID cases in the state for months and months (2 cases brought in, caught in quarantine) but still need a State of Emergency.

he's said about three times that his advice to the premier is based on Health Dept advice. So he's just a sock puppet.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Oh dear? I was simply responding to your post, on this thread, a few days ago, where you described the NZ investigation of possible links between the cold storage company's facilities in Melbourne and NZ as 'a wild goose chase' because, as you subsequently highlighted in bold, that the company said there was no shipment from one to the other. The New Zealanders, in the article we've both seen and quoted in this thread, stated that they were interested in more than direct shipping links. Hence my thought that perhaps we can credit the NZers for knowing their stuff. I pay them the respect on knowing their own needs and objectives, rather than characterising their work as a 'wild goose chase' because of what a commercial company might claim. YMMV.

Genomic sequencing to all three of the Vic Second wave strains would have been much more pertinent to do that just worrying about two particular employees (the wild goose chase), as would have been checking the Americold Customs Manifests to see all countries and cities they actually have had of received international freight from. I assume NZ customs does actually keep track of such imports.

 

[jakeseven7]

ABC radio this morning finally was a bit antsy, asking if it was really 'Health advice' to keep the border restrictions for all. Tourism operators really starting to squeal now. But the older-than-average Tas population, probably still on the whole supportive. Pensions continue to be paid, welfare the same.

Tide is slowly starting to turn I sense as well, as many predicted months ago would happen, eventually.

The 'slam em down' premiers might need to calm down their rhetoric to match as the mood shifts...

---

'Total lack of compassion': Families split by border closures


Jessica is a first-time mum in Melbourne whose family live in Queensland and the Northern Territory. Her son was born on June 20, meaning her Brisbane-based mother couldn't come down to help.

"I'm back on my anti-anxiety meds due to COVID and being a new mum," she says. "None of my family can meet my boy as my dad is in Cairns and sister in Darwin. It breaks my heart every video call because he is changing so rapidly and they are missing it."

The border closure has disrupted immediate families, too, with parents unable to access children for visitation under Queensland's harsh new rules.

"My children's father lives in Sydney and we in Queensland, so the kids are now unable to have visits without enforced hotel quarantine, which I would [also] have to do as their guardian," says Janice. "We certainly cannot afford this (time or money)."

Many people on the east coast also reported being kept from family and loved ones elsewhere in the country, despite trying to apply for exemptions.

"I live in Sydney and my close family (mum, dad, brother, nephews etc.) live in Perth," explains Callum.

"My grandmother died in April and we are holding off on an appropriate farewell. My son's first birthday is November 11 and there is a good chance my close family wont be able to make it. I understand the need to contain the virus and close the borders, but the indiscriminate nature of WA's border closure is unnecessary."

As the day unfolded: Victoria records 216 new COVID-19 cases as free Oxford vaccine deal sealed by Morrison government; Australian death toll jumps to 450

Every Australian will receive a free dose of a coronavirus vaccine if trials prove successful under a deal procured by the federal government.

www.smh.com.au

 

[dajop]

Here's a "tongue in cheek" comment on border closures.

The Rural City of Mildura, home to 55,000 Victorians, has not had a formal border closure (although there have been lockdowns obviously restricting movement within Victoria to one of several reasons). It's total cases, during the pandemic, is 6. That's a rate of 11 per 100,000 population. NT, the best performing locked down state or territory has a rate of 13.4 for their 240,000 or so territorians. Maybe we should be following Mildura's lead, rather than the NT.

Less tongue in cheek, before looking at NT as a model, need to take into account their relative isolation from the rest of Australia, like Mildura's relative isolation from the rest of Victoria (even though only 6 hrs drive from the hotspots). That's probably significant.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Here's a "tongue in cheek" comment on border closures.

The Rural City of Mildura, home to 55,000 Victorians, has not had a formal border closure (although there have been lockdowns obviously restricting movement within Victoria to one of several reasons). It's total cases, during the pandemic, is 6. That's a rate of 11 per 100,000 population. NT, the best performing locked down state or territory has a rate of 13.4 for their 240,000 or so territorians. Maybe we should be following Mildura's lead, rather than the NT.

Less tongue in cheek, before looking at NT as a model, need to take into account their relative isolation from the rest of Australia, like Mildura's relative isolation from the rest of Victoria (even though only 6 hrs drive from the hotspots). That's probably significant.

The reason why I thought NT is because they did put up a border with Brisbane when Brisbane was at risk, had sufficient reasonable exemption so when people were in transit could still enter the Territory. And they reopened to Brisbane within a week or two.

I guess gave me more confidence they might have decided lockdowns appropriately.

I know none have been perfect but I would have gone NT, then maybe SA but for the no returning residents quarantine issue.

 

[DC3]

... so what’s wrong with business being allowed to say they only want to deal with vaccinated people. If we get enough people vaccinated then the few who can’t for genuine reasons are also protected.

Nothing wrong with that. Although not possible as yet.

They wouldn’t have any customers at all until a safe vax is freely available to us.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Apparently Friday’s meeting between Morrison and the premiers is going to look at border closures. Not so much trying to get them lifted (an impossible task), but trying to get some rationality into them from the point of view of goods being able to transit them, issues with agricultural products etc. it’s become so adhoc it’s unworkable....

Post automatically merged: Aug 19, 2020

Nothing wrong with that. Although not possible as yet.

They wouldn’t have any customers at all until a safe vax is freely available to us.

Well yes . The discussion was in the context of the Oxford vaccine working and being available for free. In true AFF fashion we are already celebrating and getting ready to book our flights

 

[Melburnian1]

Just a quick poll: serious question

Which (Australian) jurisdiction does people think are doing the best decision making re borders and lockdown?

Perhaps they should create the national response indicators for the whole of Australia to follows.

I’m thinking put NT in charge. Seriously!

NSW, because by far it's maintained the most open economy.

Important for keeping people in employment, and businesses (if not prospering) at least surviving.

Worst: Victoria by a country mile, though the other four states are not impressive.

ACT and especially NT have such small populations that I can't rate them, and news about NT is rare in Victoria as it's (in Oz terms) far away and of not much interest as an expensive destination for tourists, uncompetitive with Asia.