Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[Pushka]

Given the call for increased testing, why dont they just ad a few extra pop-up clinics? It really shouldnt be that hard to set up testing tents in some local parks/reserves or carparks.

They have been doing that but everyone seems to want to get tested regardless of whether they are at risk. Plus the test doesn’t take long it’s all the details checking that is bogging it down.

Post automatically merged: Nov 18, 2020

Very disappointing for day 4/5, annoying that those in charge at the planning level have not developed workable contingency plans. If one report I read is accurate (that >4,000 people have been instructed to self-quarantine & get tested) then potentially everybody else queuing for testing +/- one of the 'potential' 4,000 risks exposure. Standing for 6 hours+ (as happened on Monday) +/- 10m or so would quite likely see you at high risk of catching it.

The 'luck' seems to be that none of the long queuing testing have been positive cases (I hope that is the case).

After Monday's issues surely some additional nurses etc could have been drafted in?

Correct. The positives are all coming so far from the initial known ‘target’ people and not people in those queues. So far.

 

[jase05]

Presser just delayed again. Sounding like mandatory masks and further restrictions incoming

 

[Must...Fly!]

Should really be an inquiry then. Look forward to the Feds suggesting that shortly or No News Corp

There's an element of luck in discovering any outbreak when you've had no history of the disease for 7 months

The response of SA seems markedly different to that of VICs days of 20 to 30 cases.

 

[I love to travel]

Presser just delayed again. Sounding like mandatory masks and further restrictions incoming

Any idea when it now is?

 

[Anna]

How many times does SA Health need to tell us to wash our hands etc before the message fails? What exactly, would you want the message to be? What should they be alerting us to that we don't already know?

You're clearly determined not to understand my point so I'm not really sure why I'm bothering but what I wanted was some indication from SA Health that they were alive to the fact that the numbers of active cases had rapidly increased tenfold and that they had upped their game in response, not just continued with business as usual we are perfect nothing could possibly go wrong here. As the info gradually dribbles out it seems more and more predictable mistakes were made. Anyway there's an inquiry now, so they'll be answerable to that.

 

[jase05]

Any idea when it now is?

12:30pm ACST

 

[33kft]

You're clearly determined not to understand my point so I'm not really sure why I'm bothering but what I wanted was some indication from SA Health that they were alive to the fact that the numbers of active cases had rapidly increased tenfold and that they had upped their game in response, not just continued with business as usual we are perfect nothing could possibly go wrong here.

Well frankly @Pushka should get your point as their point was laboured to us Victorians over and over again during our initial phase of our outbreak that the problem was that the Victorian Government was not correctly expressing the message in languages that could be understood by the impacted individuals and that was the cause of the outbreak.

So @Pushka perhaps the SA Government could start with Swahili, French, Urdu and Finnish and go from there?

 

[lovetravellingoz]

There's an element of luck in discovering any outbreak when you've had no history of the disease for 7 months

The response of SA seems markedly different to that of VICs days of 20 to 30 cases.

Yes SA looks to be quicker. Vic was too slow. The lesson from Vic with the Second Wave is that all jurisdictions should be ready to act. SA looks to have been to have been a bit too complacent though in the lead up to this new outbreak.

I think part of the problem in Vic at the time was that they thought it was just the First Wave dying off, and yes the first wave strain was. Whereas it was actually the new second wave strains. Of the 3 strains one went no where, one was soon quenched and one took off due to various factors including a super-spreader, being in larger householders ( and so higher Ro) and people who tended to not get tested, or if tested to isolate (ie lack of paid sickleave, distrust of gov, language issues etc) and it just ramped up from there. So Vic was too slow to act, and too slow to realise that it was not just the first wave strains having a few hiccups at the end.

Speed to act is crucial. As is the understanding that with the world at large having high CV19 levels that outbreaks will happen in Australia from time to time (e just look at the ongoing breaches in NZ). So like the Taiwanese were originally, we need to be ready to act when things happen.

 

[jakeseven7]

Yes SA looks to be quicker. Vic was too slow. The lesson from Vic with the Second Wave is that all jurisdictions should be ready to act.

I think part of the problem in Vic at the time was that they thought it was just the First Wave dying off, and yes the first wave strain was. Whereas it was actually the new second wave strains. Of the 3 strains one went no where, one was soon quenched and one took off due to various factors including a super-spreader, being in larger householders ( and so higher Ro) and people who tended to not get tested, or if tested to isolate (ie lack of paid sickleave, distrust of gov etc) and it just ramped up from there. So Vic was too slow to act, and too slow to realise that it was not just the first wave strains having a few hiccups at the end.

Speed to act is crucial. As is the understanding that with the world at large having high CV19 levels that outbreaks will happen in Australia from time to time (e just look at the ongoing breaches in NZ). So like the Taiwanese were originally, we need to be ready to act when things happen.

And really the only reason that has acted quickly is the learnings from VIC Round and round we go.

I hope the press conference gives a bit more clarity, they were all a bit fumbly yesterday compared to other states press conferences, clearly under a lot of stress but should have tried to hide that more...

 

[drron]

You're clearly determined not to understand my point so I'm not really sure why I'm bothering but what I wanted was some indication from SA Health that they were alive to the fact that the numbers of active cases had rapidly increased tenfold and that they had upped their game in response, not just continued with business as usual we are perfect nothing could possibly go wrong here. As the info gradually dribbles out it seems more and more predictable mistakes were made. Anyway there's an inquiry now, so they'll be answerable to that.

What predictable mistakes were made?
And why do SA Health have to announce every decision they make?
SA had upped their contact tracing back in March and have had contingency plans for increased contact tracing if needed.One of those was to get help from NSW and I believe that has already been activated.
This situation is totally different to the Victorian outbreak.First this was a medi hotel so staffed by nursing staff as well as police and security staff.Victoria just staffed by security personnel with no onsite supervision by police.
Second no evidence that the index case passed the infection on to any one else at the hotel but only the family of that worker.
Third no evidence that any security personnel have been infected whereas many were infected in Victoria and it was they that then spread it in the community.

And the common factors are that the index case was a hotel worker and the infection was then spread to large families-but only one in SA v multiple in Victoria.

 

[Lynda2475]

 

[lovetravellingoz]

You're clearly determined not to understand my point so I'm not really sure why I'm bothering but what I wanted was some indication from SA Health that they were alive to the fact that the numbers of active cases had rapidly increased tenfold and that they had upped their game in response, not just continued with business as usual we are perfect nothing could possibly go wrong here. As the info gradually dribbles out it seems more and more predictable mistakes were made. Anyway there's an inquiry now, so they'll be answerable to that.

At the time of your first post there does not seem to have been a rapid tenfold increase in active cases.

What seems to have occurred once international arrivals ramped up was an ongoing but low level of new cases acquired from overseas.










With overseas acquired removed:

 

[jeza]

What predictable mistakes were made?
And why do SA Health have to announce every decision they make?
SA had upped their contact tracing back in March and have had contingency plans for increased contact tracing if needed.One of those was to get help from NSW and I believe that has already been activated.
This situation is totally different to the Victorian outbreak.First this was a medi hotel so staffed by nursing staff as well as police and security staff.Victoria just staffed by security personnel with no onsite supervision by police.
Second no evidence that the index case passed the infection on to any one else at the hotel but only the family of that worker.
Third no evidence that any security personnel have been infected whereas many were infected in Victoria and it was they that then spread it in the community.

And the common factors are that the index case was a hotel worker and the infection was then spread to large families-but only one in SA v multiple in Victoria.

WA is assisting SA with the contact tracing as they use the same system.

 

[Pushka]

Well frankly @Pushka should get your point as their point was laboured to us Victorians over and over again during our initial phase of our outbreak that the problem was that the Victorian Government was not correctly expressing the message in languages that could be understood by the impacted individuals and that was the cause of the outbreak.

So @Pushka perhaps the SA Government could start with Swahili, French, Urdu and Finnish and go from there?

However Communication wasn’t the issue here. I do agree that the testing regime of workers in quarantine hotels sucks. That is Australia wide. @Anna was right although she was more concerned with increasing numbers. That did increase the risk. But this could have happened with just one positive.

Here you go. SA learnt nothing from Victoria’s experience in terms of initial outbreak. Hopefully we do tracing better.

 

[Pushka]

6 day “pause”. Schools shut. Masks in public. No cafes etc including takeaway. Can’t go outside house bounds. No exercise outside house. One person shopping once a day. No regional travel. No childcare except for essential workers. Worse than Victoria.

 

[jakeseven7]

6 day “pause”. Schools shut. Masks in public. No cafes etc including takeaway. Can’t go outside house bounds. No exercise outside house. One person shopping once a day. No regional travel. No childcare except for essential workers. Worse than Victoria.

Wish Sydney would do this (to get a handle on their troublesome outer suburbs)....

 

[Must...Fly!]

6 day “pause”. Schools shut. Masks in public. No cafes etc including takeaway. Can’t go outside house bounds. No exercise outside house. One person shopping once a day. No regional travel. No childcare except for essential workers. Worse than Victoria.

I can't believe what I'm hearing.

 

[Pushka]

I can't believe what I'm hearing.

Only two positive cases today and all linked. More expected. Apparently 6 days represents two generations for this strain.

 

[Flashback]

6 day “pause”. Schools shut. Masks in public. No cafes etc including takeaway. Can’t go outside house bounds. No exercise outside house. One person shopping once a day. No regional travel. No childcare except for essential workers. Worse than Victoria.

Overkill!

 

[RAM]

6 day “pause”. Schools shut. Masks in public. No cafes etc including takeaway. Can’t go outside house bounds. No exercise outside house. One person shopping once a day. No regional travel. No childcare except for essential workers. Worse than Victoria.

Curious & curiouser - worker in kitchen is patient zero. Pizza Bar link - security guard worker at two venues caught it from kitchen worker, & passed it onto cook at Pizza Bar.

Still not learnt the lesson of quarantine facility workers working a second job.

EDIT / Correction

CMO back to clarify comments (too many bruises in intervening minutes?).

Cook at 2nd hotel tested +ve - no apparent links.
Finally traced to Pizza shop traced to worker working 2 jobs - but this is where her explanation lost me. Could not make out if it was close-contact who worked 2 jobs or Pepper's worker doing two jobs.

Somewhat different version to what said earlier this afternoon - perhaps shows the risk of trying to appear more 'professional' rather than referring to your notes.