Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[SydneySwan]

Victoria's target for opening up of gyms etc is impossible to achieve. 14 days of zero community transmission.

I am wondering if Dr Young from Queensland has been providing advice to Victoria!

 

[jakeseven7]

Perhaps Vic’s way to motivate/make despondent and get as high level of compliance as possible.

I do feel that as Melbourne approaches Sydney’s results that there might be a re-think. But right now politically this is probably the most feasible path back.

I agree I think there will be some earlier release of restrictions... you can read the playbook it’s pretty obvious....

Indeed the last two steps of the roadmap are bizarrely impossible to achieve.

I don’t think they will necessarily use them....

—-

Talking to our colleagues in Melbourne tonight (crisis planning, again....as we use Melbourne ports and distribution as our hub) their feeling was this:

- The Vic gov is actually quite happy about where they are, but they also know with this virus it will bubble away forever so want to suppress as deeply as they possibly can before opening up

- They won’t get another chance with the public to do This again, so just push hard, know they won’t get 100% compliance but do best until end Sept

- General feeling is we have come this far what is another two weeks...

- Strong consensus is that the planned reopening roadmap is actually a worst case scenario and strong suspicion there will be some ‘earlier than expected good news’ announcements coming in

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Very tough targets.

I suspect that the next 14 days will largely tell the tale on how achievable they all will be.

Cases need to plummet quickly as I suspect that not enough people will be willing enough to be strict enough for several months, and so they need drop low enough, early enough, that contact tracing can become a more effective measure when good habits/practices start to fatigue.

 

[HokitikaGold]

Victoria's target for opening up of gyms etc is impossible to achieve. 14 days of zero community transmission.

This is a good thing then.

I cannot think of an environment more conducive to spreading a virus than a gym. Close contact, physically due to contact surfaces. A tiny volume of air constantly re-circulated, where people are breathing heavily. And people go there for a relatively lengthy period of time. Every aspect a no-go thing for anyone remotely interested in how this virus spreads.

I go to many gyms, and they have fans, but not real ventilation. It beggars belief that anyone would not consider such an environment to be perhaps the worst in regards to cleanliness. And every single gym has many dozens of members... Tracking cases would be a nightmare. The "soup" you expose yourself to in a gym is heavy. i would hope that restrictions would reflect this reality.

 

[jakeseven7]

I am wondering if Dr Young from Queensland has been providing advice to Victoria!

Queensland CHO is for Queenslanders only!! Who would want her anyway....

...Although she loves judging other states particularly NSW - on a weekly basis

 

[p--and--t]

Very tough targets.

I suspect that the next 14 days will largely tell the tale on how achievable they all will be.

Cases need to plummet quickly as I suspect that not enough people will be willing enough to be strict enough for several months, and so they need drop low enough, early enough, that contact tracing can become a more effective measure when good habits/practices start to fatigue.

I'm secretly hoping that the bad news scenario painted today will motivate many of the population to realise that the gov is serious and to dob in richard craniums who are defying the restrictions on a daily basis, keeping the numbers unacceptably high, risking the health of others and the economy generally by their selfish behaviour.

 

[jakeseven7]

I'm secretly hoping that the bad news scenario painted today will motivate many of the population to realise that the gov is serious and to dob in richard craniums who are defying the restrictions on a daily basis, keeping the numbers unacceptably high, risking the health of others and the economy generally by their selfish behaviour.

They actually don’t think those people are driving many cases really - Dan answered that in the press conference. He said ‘a few, could count on one hand but obviously as you get smaller numbers that behaviour becomes becomes more important to correct...’

They are still getting a lot of cases from essential workers in close contact / high risk working circumstances (plus then their families of course).

 

[p--and--t]

They actually don’t think those people are driving many cases really - Dan answered that in the press conference. He said ‘a few, could count on one hand but obviously as you get smaller numbers that behaviour becomes becomes more important to correct...’

They are still getting a lot of cases from essential workers in close contact / high risk working circumstances (plus then their families of course).

I don't know the circumstance but one person managed to infect 24 others in the last couple of weeks. Not much social distancing going on there.

 

[jakeseven7]

I don't know the circumstance but one person managed to infect 24 others in the last couple of weeks. Not much social distancing going on there.

I guess if you say so but those people are never going to be eradicated, just like the virus. It’s here to stay now in Vic, Qld, Nsw at the very least.

 

[kyle]

that contact tracing can become a more effective measure

And they expect us to believe that it will work this time...

 

[james4321]

I am wondering if Dr Young from Queensland has been providing advice to Victoria!

Given the performance of each of these two State that might actually be a good idea.

 

[antycbr]

Given the performance of each of these two State that might actually be a good idea.

Although she can’t meet her own target of no community transmission so should close her borders to herself.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

And they expect us to believe that it will work this time...

Though remember that the first wave from its strains was overcome. So what worked once can work again. Recent progress has been very good, but yes as I posted not long ago I think the next two weeks is particularly crucial.

The cases we all have now are all from the new strains.

 

[Lynda2475]

According to SMH.com.au NSW health are continuing to follow up on all our clusters, linking sources of outbreaks originally flagged as unknown.

"NSW Health's latest COVID-19 surveillance report revealed whole-genome sequencing linked the CBD cluster was related to cases from the Bankstown funeral cluster. But the person who introduced the infection to City Tattersalls has not been identified, NSW Health said."

Meanwhile, NSW's first major COVID-19 outbreak linked to Victoria’s second wave has officially been "closed" by health authorities. There have been no new cases linked to the Crossroads Hotel at Casula since August 1, and two incubation periods have passed since the last case.

NSW has 11 active clusters, eight of which haven’t reported new cases for more than a week.

NSW's most common COVID-19 symptoms:

Coughing was the most common symptom (58 per cent of cases) followed by fatigue (55 per cent), headache (47 per cent), fever (39 per cent) and a sore throat (37 per cent).

But one in five cases reported severe respiratory symptoms, including pneumonia, shortness of breath or acute respiratory disease. They were most common in elderly cases.

Young children were more likely to report no symptoms than adults.

Among children aged under five, cough was the most common symptom (38 per cent) followed by runny nose (34 per cent), fever (32 per cent), diarrhoea or nausea and vomiting (26 per cent).

Primary school-aged children (five to 11 year-olds) reported having a runny nose (37 per cent), headache (30 per cent), cough (29 per cent), sore throat (24 per cent) and fever (22 per cent).

High school-aged children (12 to 17-year-olds) had cough (44 per cent), headache (43 per cent), runny nose (43 per cent), sore throat (41 per cent) and fatigue (36 per cent).

Adults aged between 18 and 79 had the same top five symptoms of cough, fatigue, headache, fever and sore throat, sometimes in varying order.

Older adults (aged over 80) had cough (66 per cent), fatigue (42 per cent), fever (37 per cent), shortness of breath (26 per cent) and diarrhoea and/or nausea and vomiting (24 per cent)

 

[bernardblack]

they have caveated the Steps with words to the effect of ‘not a day longer than needed’ and ‘depending on numbers at the time’, So it still could be slightly earlier or later.

These charlatans have zero credibility on these commitments, or anything else.

Needed to shut up the Federal pollies’ whinging.

The feds' complaints about legitimate repeated screwups and disproportionate, unfair response?

Indeed the last two steps of the roadmap are bizarrely impossible to achieve.

Exactly. It's going to be endemic for years. Zero cases is just not going to happen.

And they expect us to believe that it will work this time...

FFS

 

[SydneySwan]

Victoria 41 cases, 9 deaths today

 

[RooFlyer]

Wesfarmers CEO very critical of Vic Govts lack of engagement with the business sector. ABC’s AM this morning, and story in the Oz

Mr Scott, who oversees the Bunnings and Officeworks chains and employs 30,000 people in the state, was also highly critical of the Victorian Premier for a lack of consultation in extending the state’s strict lockdown for weeks.

“We have not had any meaningful engagement with the government around retail operations and nor any feedback as to whether our retail network presents any risks to the community,” he said. “The diversity and financial strength of Wesfarmers will enable us to get through the Victorian lockdown but many other businesses may not … it will be impractical for many retailers to plan for and trade through such uncertainty at what is normally the busiest time of the retail year.”

On the radio he said that there had been meetings, but they had been ‘a one way dialogue’

AIG CEO much the same

But Australian Industry Group CEO Innes Willox has lashed Mr Merlino and the Victorian government, saying the consultation process from the government had been “a joke”.

“They’re not interested in listening, there’s been zero interest with trying to engage with the business community in a meaningful way,” he said.

“If NSW applied the Victorian numbers NSW would be shut down today there’d be no outdoor dining in Queensland.”

 

[Pushka]

I wonder if Morrison regrets announcing the extension of job keeper so early.

 

[jakeseven7]

According to SMH.com.au NSW health are continuing to follow up on all our clusters, linking sources of outbreaks originally flagged as unknown.

"NSW Health's latest COVID-19 surveillance report revealed whole-genome sequencing limked the CBD cluster was related to cases from the Bankstown funeral cluster. But the person who introduced the infection to City Tattersalls has not been identified, NSW Health said."

Meanwhile, NSW's first major COVID-19 outbreak linked to Victoria’s second wave has officially been "closed" by health authorities. There have been no new cases linked to the Crossroads Hotel at Casula since August 1, and two incubation periods have passed since the last case.

NSW has 11 active clusters, eight of which haven’t reported new cases for more than a week.

NSW's most common COVID-19 symptoms:

Coughing was the most common symptom (58 per cent of cases) followed by fatigue (55 per cent), headache (47 per cent), fever (39 per cent) and a sore throat (37 per cent).

But one in five cases reported severe respiratory symptoms, including pneumonia, shortness of breath or acute respiratory disease. They were most common in elderly cases.

Young children were more likely to report no symptoms than adults.

Among children aged under five, cough was the most common symptom (38 per cent) followed by runny nose (34 per cent), fever (32 per cent), diarrhoea or nausea and vomiting (26 per cent).

Primary school-aged children (five to 11 year-olds) reported having a runny nose (37 per cent), headache (30 per cent), cough (29 per cent), sore throat (24 per cent) and fever (22 per cent).

High school-aged children (12 to 17-year-olds) had cough (44 per cent), headache (43 per cent), runny nose (43 per cent), sore throat (41 per cent) and fatigue (36 per cent).

Adults aged between 18 and 79 had the same top five symptoms of cough, fatigue, headache, fever and sore throat, sometimes in varying order.

Older adults (aged over 80) had cough (66 per cent), fatigue (42 per cent), fever (37 per cent), shortness of breath (26 per cent) and diarrhoea and/or nausea and vomiting (24 per cent)

Surely it’s about time for Dr Young our wonderful QLD CHO to cast her weekly judgment on NSW and VIC....

 

[jakeseven7]

I wonder if Morrison regrets announcing the extension of job keeper so early.

1000000000%

Was talking about this on the weekend... I bet he and Josh are KICKING themselves that they extended it so far.... especially for the states that have deeply suppressed (Wa, SA, Tas, NT)

.... but I just have this inkling if Vic gets things back on track, and they are doing a tremendous job and aren’t that far away now - that he may have the scenario where the case numbers are low enough that businesses can reopen and he can actually withdraw / scale down Jobkeeper (not seeker) faster