Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[jakeseven7]

So as we have been discussing last few days about why doesn’t NSW try and do a big testing blitz in W and SW Sydney to try and root out where their cases keep bubbling up from....

VIC has just announced they are going to do a targeted testing blitz on their ‘equivalent’ - outer north and north west Melb. Will be interesting to see how this goes, they are working through the local community councils, community health and schools in combination with their Rapid Response Units.

Huge new COVID testing blitz to target Melbourne's north-west

State government to launch its biggest COVID testing effort yet, aiming to take hundreds of thousands of swabs in Melbourne's north and west.

www.theage.com.au

 

[jb747]

Living on the border we’re quite bemused by the NSW behaviour with regard to its closure. They originally wanted two weeks to see if opening Melbourne caused a rash of country cases, but the way things are going, the entire state is close to 14 days. NSW on the other hand....What’s the bet that NSW eventually opens, just as Vic closes. Qld and WA will never open again. May as well forget that they exist.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

So as we have been discussing last few days about why doesn’t NSW try and do a big testing blitz in W and SW Sydney to try and root out where their cases keep bubbling up from....

VIC has just announced they are going to do a targeted testing blitz on their ‘equivalent’ - outer north and north west Melb. Will be interesting to see how this goes, they are working through the local community councils, community health and schools in combination with their Rapid Response Units.

Huge new COVID testing blitz to target Melbourne's north-west

State government to launch its biggest COVID testing effort yet, aiming to take hundreds of thousands of swabs in Melbourne's north and west.

www.theage.com.au

Yes Vic Gov very proactive at present.

Not just the testing blitz, but also picking up previous cases like the case from WA who despite not being contagious is treated as if they are.

The returnee from WA is one of a regular stream of such occurances.

3 were in recent weeks initially classified as mystery cases and possible reinfections. The first of these has since been reclassified as not being a reinfection. 2 remain as mystery cases.

The other cases going back months apart from one other case I believe have all been deemed to be just long-lasting, but not contagious, viral shedding.

 

[Lynda2475]

NSW has already advised the opening date for all of Vic as 2 weeks from when Victorian internal border between Melbourne and Regional was removed. It is 00:01 on 23rd Nov, Vic Premiere was consulted and on board with the decision.

Personally i doubt Vic will turn and around and close its border to NSW given low numbers have remained relatively stable since Vic seeded community cases at Crossroads in July.

Pretty sure Sydney wont be allowed into Queensland this year, but Vic likely will be from Dec provided fly direct and dont transit NSW. Also certain WA wont let NSW in without Quarantine until after their election.

 

[Lynda2475]

The article i read said Vic case from WA was feeling unwell hence being retested, if you are still testing positive (irrespective of how long ago you first tested positive) and are unwell you should be isolating, not out in community. If they stilll have symptoms and measureable viral load they can still infect people. I understand risk is higher earlier in the infection period, but we also know some people develop disease more than 14 days from exposure.

I stand by my assertion that overseas arrivals who test positive should not be released from hotel quarantine (or hospital) until they test negative. And any old case who relapses with symptoms should also stay home until they test negative again.

WA claim no recent community transmission so the Vic case from WA had to be an overseas arrival, were they released after 14 days hotel iso despite still being positive? If they tested negative on release and are now showing positive doeent this mean the virus is making a comeback (not a reinfection)?

 

[TomVexille]

You can recover from covid, still be shedding enough virus for a PCR test, and feel unwell because you caught a cold

 

[MelMel]

So as we have been discussing last few days about why doesn’t NSW try and do a big testing blitz in W and SW Sydney to try and root out where their cases keep bubbling up from....

VIC has just announced they are going to do a targeted testing blitz on their ‘equivalent’ - outer north and north west Melb. Will be interesting to see how this goes, they are working through the local community councils, community health and schools in combination with their Rapid Response Units.

Huge new COVID testing blitz to target Melbourne's north-west

State government to launch its biggest COVID testing effort yet, aiming to take hundreds of thousands of swabs in Melbourne's north and west.

www.theage.com.au

This will be interesting, there are likely to be people who have had the virus without knowing and test positive as they are still shedding. How will they classify them - positive?

 

[lovetravellingoz]

The article i read said Vic case from WA was feeling unwell hence being retested, if you are still testing positive (irrespective of how long ago you first tested positive) and are unwell you should be isolating, not out in community. If they stilll have symptoms and measureable viral load they can still infect people. I understand risk is higher earlier in the infection period, but we also know some people develop disease more than 14 days from exposure.

I stand by my assertion that overseas arrivals who test positive should not be released from hotel quarantine (or hospital) until they test negative. And any old case who relapses with symptoms should also stay home until they test negative again.

WA claim no recent community transmission so the Vic case from WA had to be an overseas arrival, were they released after 14 days hotel iso despite still being positive? If they tested negative on release and are now showing positive doeent this mean the virus is making a comeback (not a reinfection)?

There was a guy in SA who remained positive for months.

Not contagious and so no need to have him quarantine for months and months.


People can also test positive, then get negative tests and then some time later generate a positive test again from viral shedding.


Vic are cautious with all positive tests of previous cases and they are not out in the community unless an expert committee clears them to be able to be.

And yes that is based on viral load etc.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

This will be interesting, there are likely to be people who have had the virus without knowing and test positive as they are still shedding. How will they classify them - positive?

Most people will not though.

However if they were a new case they would be recorded.

For example WA have picked up old infections with the test that shows if you have ever had covid.

So I would imagine that they get recorded as a recovered case, but not as an active case as their viral load will be low and they are nit contagious.

From memory too the viral fragments in these cases are not capable of causing a transmission.


They are different from the longhaulers who have longer than normal active covid infections.

 

[jakeseven7]

NSW has already advised the opening date for all of Vic as 2 weeks from when Victorian internal border between Melbourne and Regional was removed. It is 00:01 on 23rd Nov, Vic Premiere was consulted and on board with the decision.

Personally i doubt Vic will turn and around and close its border to NSW given low numbers have remained relatively stable since Vic seeded community cases at Crossroads in July.

Pretty sure Sydney wont be allowed into Queensland this year, but Vic likely will be from Dec provided fly direct and dont transit NSW. Also certain WA wont let NSW in without Quarantine until after their election.

Wow do you have an inside line to the QLD CHO?! You called it...

The QLD CHO came out today and affirmed strong positive discussions with VIC Health, feeling very positive about their systems, tracking, tracing and rapid responses to clusters and then announced QLD was on track to reopen to VIC on Dec 1 if things continue on this track.

No comment given on the Sydney situation and the ongoing community transmission there though.....

 

[blackcat20]

Wow do you have an inside line to the QLD CHO?! You called it...

The QLD CHO came out today and affirmed strong positive discussions with VIC Health, feeling very positive about their systems, tracking, tracing and rapid responses to clusters and then announced QLD was on track to reopen to VIC on Dec 1 if things continue on this track.

No comment given on the Sydney situation and the ongoing community transmission there though.....

She says she's "hopeful" they will open.

 

[TomVexille]

She says she's "hopeful" they will open.

Which means that we were correct in cancelling all QLD holidays as you can not plan with any certainty

 

[jakeseven7]

South Australia will probably announce a date for full VIC reopening on Friday:

-----

South Australia's COVID-19 transition committee has finished meeting this morning and says a decision on when to open the state's border with Victoria without a need to quarantine should be made on Friday.

"[Victoria's] really the only jurisdiction now where we have any significant restrictions, so based on Victoria's current level of activity, which is excellent, we are hopeful we can make some decisions on Friday,"

Victoria announces free kinder amid coronavirus pandemic to get women 'back into work'

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says the state will spend $169 million to provide free kinder for four-year-olds and some three-year-olds to help women get back into the workforce after being hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

www.abc.net.au

 

[jb747]

NSW has already advised the opening date for all of Vic as 2 weeks from when Victorian internal border between Melbourne and Regional was removed. It is 00:01 on 23rd Nov, Vic Premiere was consulted and on board with the decision.

Which was based on the case of Melbourne still having a low daily incidence, and they wanted to see if opening Melbourne to the regions caused that incidence to spread. But, now they’ve had 11 days of zero incidence in Melbourne, and it’s been that for much longer in the regions. So, why not base that opening on the start of the run in Melbourne. Presumably, mixing zero and zero, still gives zero.

Personally i doubt Vic will turn and around and close its border to NSW given low numbers have remained relatively stable since Vic seeded community cases at Crossroads in July.

At the current numbers perhaps not, but I think Victoria will actually be quite likely to lock out any state that has issues. Basically, Victorians have already been through a very coughty time, and they will not be welcoming any chance of interstate issues restarting the virus here.

Pretty sure Sydney wont be allowed into Queensland this year, but Vic likely will be from Dec provided fly direct and dont transit NSW. Also certain WA wont let NSW in without Quarantine until after their election.

I wonder how many really care about anything that WA does.

But, why would Victorians have to fly, and not transit NSW? That makes zero sense given that Qld is open to regional NSW. What you’re suggesting is that I have to go to Qld by driving to Melbourne and then flying, whilst my mate, living 5kms away from me in Albury, can simply drive. Anyway, no caravan, no go.

 

[jakeseven7]

She says she's "hopeful" they will open.

About as concrete as we get from them...

But imagine if VIC and QLD opened up and but Sydney remained banned to QLD... I mean pass the biggest bucket of popcorn ever made right?

At the current numbers perhaps not, but I think Victoria will actually be quite likely to lock out any state that has issues. Basically, Victorians have already been through a very coughty time, and they will not be welcoming any chance of interstate issues restarting the virus here.

I have to agree with you.... We had a big Zoom call with our VIC team and they said they are terrified that NSW will send covid back into VIC and they don't want to repeat their recent experience.

Articles are starting to surface questioning should VIC put a ban on SW/W Sydney as well, see below.

Having said that I think we have the be practical now, NSW and SA and ACT have been open freely for weeks now and we haven't seen NSW export any cases yet....

After Victoria's success, NSW now poses greater COVID risk

One leading epidemiologist has suggested there may be an argument for Victoria to keep the border shut and protect its run of zero new cases.

www.theage.com.au

 

[dajop]

But imagine if VIC and QLD opened up and but Sydney remained banned to QLD... I mean pass the biggest bucket of popcorn ever made right?

Biggest bucket of popcorn ever made has continuously been replenished for about 5 years now and looks like it will need to keep on being replenished until at least Jan 20. A spat like this between AP & GB would be a mere shotglass worth of popcorn in comparison .....

 

[drron]

If States really have their contact tracing up to scratch and their isolation proceedures and enforcement right they should not be afraid of the introduction of a few cases of Covid from terrible guests from interstate.
If they do institute bans they are in fact saying they don't trust their systems.

 

[Pushka]

If States really have their contact tracing up to scratch and their isolation proceedures and enforcement right they should not be afraid of the introduction of a few cases of Covid from terrible guests from interstate.
If they do institute bans they are in fact saying they don't trust their systems.

SA doesn't use QR codes at all. That concerns me. While they stamp on cases quickly, if someone has been to a pub and developed Covid then there would be issues in tracing contacts. QLD does this extremely well. We need to learn from Qld.

 

[jakeseven7]

SA doesn't use QR codes at all. That concerns me. While they stamp on cases quickly, if someone has been to a pub and developed Covid then there would be issues in tracing contacts. QLD does this extremely well. We need to learn from Qld.

Where have you heard that? My goodness come and see inner city brisbane where I live, check in compliance and social distancing is pretty sloppy. I can't really compare it to other cities though.

 

[Pushka]

Where have you heard that? My goodness come and see inner city brisbane where I live, check in compliance and social distancing is pretty sloppy. I can't really compare it to other cities though.

When we went to FNQ back in August. We couldn't go anywhere, even for just a cup of coffee without logging in. The best one was the Daintree Rainforest area run by the Indigenous population and they had records for possible tracing down Pat. In Adelaide, we don't even register. Anywhere.