Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[lovetravellingoz]

From the ABC:

Recapping the situation in Victoria:​

• All three cases recorded today are directly linked to the Black Rock cluster
• More than 32,000 tests were conducted
• There are around 1,000 primary and secondary contacts currently in isolation
• Since December 7, there have been 5,354 people go through the state’s revamped hotel quarantine system
• Eight out of just over 1,000 flight crew who have flown into Victoria in the last two weeks have tested positive
• Police have turned away 1,532 motorists attempting to enter the state without a permitted reasons since December 20
• 2,798 people have applied for exemptions to enter into Victoria from New South Wales.
• Of that number, 57 have been granted

Recapping the situation in NSW:​

• Eight cases were recorded — four are overseas acquired and are in hotel quarantine, three are connected to the Berala cluster and one is a household contact of the Croydon cluster.
• More than 26,000 tests were conducted
• An 18-year-old man from Berala travelled from Berala to Orange, Nyngan and then Broken Hill for a camping trip
• Exposure sites include Birdie Noshery establishment in Orange (January 3 from 12:30pm to 2:00pm) and the Nyngan Riverside Tourist Park (Saturday January 2 to Sunday January 3)
• The NSW Government will ban residents from Auburn, Berala, Lidcombe North, Regents Park and Rookwood from attending the cricket Test in Sydney this week

 

[oz_mark]

To be a devil’s advocate .... Who are we to judge on “diversity” training when we don’t have the faintest clue of what that training is about? I assume most a coming from a white Anglo Saxon view that it is unnecessary.


But I’ve noticed many medical staff (physicians and nurses) come from all over the world - here in rural Victoria you see doctors from the subcontinent, nurses from Philippines etc. I’m sure in the UK it is similar plus many from Eastern Europe. It’s probably not a bad thing, when rolling out an important medical program for those involved in the frontline to be a bit sensitive culturally in handling patients from all sorts of backgrounds.

But as I said, who are we to judge unless we know what is involved.

I don't think the issue is the diversity training itself, but the fact they managed to make people do that, and not provide them basic training on the job they were meant to be doing.

 

[Must...Fly!]

It was reported in NSW presser todsy that 11% of positive HQ in NSW are from the UK but not all are the strain. Which would imply US and India still bigger sources.

If Vic selfishly close their borders to UK then NSW burden increases again, other states start denying aussies from returning via their cities NSW needs to push back and only take NSW residents, im so sick of other states not doing enough to help with international arrivals but then coughing in the media about how NSW handles things.

To my knowledge Border Force permit entry in to the Commonwealth of Australia, not the state of Victoria. Good luck to the Victorian government.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

If Vic selfishly close their borders to UK then NSW burden increases again, other states start denying aussies from returning via their cities NSW needs to push back and only take NSW residents, im so sick of other states not doing enough to help with international arrivals but then coughing in the media about how NSW handles things.

Do you have other information than what was stated below (ie ignore the headlines that some Editors who are not part of the decision process add as click bait)?


ie. HS

VICTORIA COULD SLAM DOOR SHUT ON UK​

Victoria could move to shut its border to the UK amid fears over the country’s super COVID-19 strain.

So an opinion/comment from the newspaper.

Whereas the body of article that follows and which actually contains what the Vic Gov are seeking to do is quite different from the headline and opening sentence:



Ms Neville said Victorian deputy chief health officer Allen Cheng would raise the issue at an AHPPC meeting today and seek national agreement to undertake a risk assessment of the situation.

Any decision to close the border to the UK would be based on the subsequent public health advice, she said.

It comes after Victoria called for an urgent meeting of national cabinet over the threat of the UK’s super COVID-19 strain, amid fears the mutant bug could devastate Australia.

The variant of the coronavirus, described by a senior state government source as “radioactive, toxic material, wildly infectious” is up to 50 per cent more infectious the type which caused Victoria’s second wave.

It can also be revealed that the government wants an urgent national cabinet meeting to again push for pre-flight testing of anyone travelling from the UK.

It is understood there are also concerns that other states’ hotel quarantine testing regimes are not as rigorous as in Victoria, which screens every staff member daily and families weekly.
Read the full story here.

​

Note that last sentence is the HS statememt.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

To my knowledge Border Force permit entry in to the Commonwealth of Australia, not the state of Victoria. Good luck to the Victorian government.

What the Vic Gov actually is seeking is :

Victorian deputy chief health officer Allen Cheng would raise the issue at an AHPPC meeting today and seek national agreement to undertake a risk assessment of the situation.

 

[Pushka]

How wild is the grandstanding today? Victoria now requesting modelling from AHPPC regarding the new UK strain and travel risk, considering if closing the border is necessary?

Why do states think they have any jurisdiction in this area?

And even better yet - if you were so concerned about it - why ask now? Oh because people see on the news the UK has a lockdown again.

None of this is triggered by health, if it was, this would have been requested weeks ago. I am frustrated today....

Does Vic even have any of the UK strain? SA has two, one of whom has already been released from quarantine.

 

[Must...Fly!]

What the Vic Gov actually is seeking is :

Victorian deputy chief health officer Allen Cheng would raise the issue at an AHPPC meeting today and seek national agreement to undertake a risk assessment of the situation.

Victoria, after allowing 800+ residents to die in a covid outbreak the state failed to stop, is now throwing it's weight around trying to tell others what to do? Maybe I am being extreme but it almost seems as though it is arrogance that permeates the state government.

I note there is a rumour some will be released out of hotel quarantine after travelling from NSW recently, before their 14 days are up.

What does that say, if anything?

 

[OZDUCK]

W.A has reported that three people have been diagnosed with the "UK Strain" today. Ooops - meant to say - in Hotel Quarantine!

 

[dajop]

Victoria, after allowing 800+ residents to die in a covid outbreak the state failed to stop, is now throwing it's weight around trying to tell others what to do? Maybe I am being extreme but it almost seems as though it is arrogance that permeates the state government.

I note there is a rumour some will be released out of hotel quarantine after travelling from NSW recently, before their 14 days are up.

What does that say, if anything?

What pray tell is wrong with the guy co-opted in to help fix Victoria’s mess (that is Allen Cheng, who wasn’t Deputy CHO at the start of the outbreak) raising the idea of doing a risk assessment of the situation? Is that arrogance or merely professional competence?

In the little red dot I live (Singapore) , back on 23 Dec had already assessed the risk and decided to prevent those who weren’t either citizens or permanent residents from entering the country (ie mainly relatives on dependent passes and work pass holders) coming from the UK, whilst waiting for further information from the UK about the strain.

 

[jakeseven7]

Victoria, after allowing 800+ residents to die in a covid outbreak the state failed to stop, is now throwing it's weight around trying to tell others what to do? Maybe I am being extreme but it almost seems as though it is arrogance that permeates the state government.

Wow calm down, he's not a member of any government he is a medical expert who is highly regarded internationally asking a perfectly reasonable question to be discussed by a board of fellow medical peers. Seems 1000% reasonable.

Don't fall for all the click bait headlines designed to 'enrage' people...

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Victoria, after allowing 800+ residents to die in a covid outbreak the state failed to stop, is now throwing it's weight around trying to tell others what to do? Maybe I am being extreme but it almost seems as though it is arrogance that permeates the state government.

I note there is a rumour some will be released out of hotel quarantine after travelling from NSW recently, before their 14 days are up.

What does that say, if anything?

So what you are saying is that all the lessons learned in Victoria... simply ignore them? Don't listen to the experience of Victoria. Don't learn from their mistakes. Don't listen to them just because... well... why?

It's called gaining experience, learning to manage risks, and trying to stop history repeating. Obviously NSW's approach hasn't worked too well so far... the virus escaped and is causing untold inconvenience in Victoria and other states with thousands of hours wasted in people lining up for tests, hundreds in isolation, and businesses closed.

 

[Lynda2475]

In the little red dot I live (Singapore) , back on 23 Dec had already assessed the risk and decided to prevent those who weren’t either citizens or permanent residents from entering the country (ie mainly relatives on dependent passes and work pass holders) coming from the UK, whilst assessing the situation.

The vast majority of international arrivals are returning citizens and permanent residents, tourism hasnt been allowed since borders closed back in March. I like many would like to see the net tightened across the board to lock out non citzens and permant residents especially unecessay sports people and celebrities, and those leveraging our generosity to falsely bring in relos as dependents whilst actual Aussies have to wait.

But i dont think it is right to deny returning citizens, as Vic want to discuss. If they trust their revamped hotel QR and track and trace we can manage the risk.

If you are aussie struggling to get home, how scary it must be to think you could be abandoned in UK where NHS is overwhelmed, when Australian health system is more than capable of helping you, should you need it during hotel QR.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

The vast majority of international arrivals are returning citizens and permanent residents, tourism hasnt been allowed since borders closed back in March. I like many would like to see the net tightened across the board to lock out non citzens and permant residents especially unecessay sports people and celebrities, and those leveraging our generosity to falsely bring in relos as dependents whilst actual Aussies have to wait.

But i dont think it is right to deny returning citizens, as Vic want to discuss. If they trust their revamped hotel QR and track and trace we can manage the risk.

If you are aussie struggling to get home, how scary it must be to think you could be abandoned in UK where NHS is overwhelmed, when Australian health system is more than capable of helping you, should you need it during hotel QR.

I think the current NSW example is pure luck rather than anything to do with contact tracing. Before the cluster was identified there were people with the virus out in the community, passing it on. If just one of those had been working in aged care we could easily have had another Victoria

Contact tracing is only good once you know you have a problem. With this new strain it could well be too late by then

 

[dajop]

But i dont think it is right to deny returning citizens, as Vic want to discuss. If they trust their revamped hotel QR and track and trace we can manage the risk.

But the article suggests that they want to discuss “risk assessment”. It’s only some sub-editor charged with generating traffic (i.e. clickbait headlines) that has taken this to mean “ban citizens returning to Victoria” (and only Victoria).

We all need to see past the emotive click bait rubbish that passes as news. Designed to trigger emotions which it has.

 

[trevella]

Obviously NSW's approach hasn't worked too well so far... the virus escaped and is causing untold inconvenience in Victoria and other states with thousands of hours wasted in people lining up for tests, hundreds in isolation, and businesses closed.

Pathetic.

 

[Must...Fly!]

What pray tell is wrong with the guy co-opted in to help fix Victoria’s mess (that is Allen Cheng, who wasn’t Deputy CHO at the start of the outbreak) raising the idea of doing a risk assessment of the situation? Is that arrogance or merely professional competence?

In the little red dot I live (Singapore) , back on 23 Dec had already assessed the risk and decided to prevent those who weren’t either citizens or permanent residents from entering the country (ie mainly relatives on dependent passes and work pass holders) coming from the UK, whilst waiting for further information from the UK about the strain.

23 December was how long ago? And I believe now subject to certain conditions, you can now fly between Singapore and UK.

If it was so dangerous then the horse has already bolted. That's all I'm trying to say.

And are we supposed to leave Australians without any way to return to their home country? Also, due to actions by the state government it is essentially easier to travel from the UK to Victoria than it is from NSW to Victoria, at the moment.

 

[Lynda2475]

It's called gaining experience, learning to manage risks, and trying to stop history repeating. Obviously NSW's approach hasn't worked too well so far... the virus escaped and is causing untold inconvenience in Victoria and other states with thousands of hours wasted in people lining up for tests, hundreds in isolation, and businesses closed

Someone is super biased towards Vic. According to you if something is well managed in NsW its ljust luck, i respectfully disagree.

The main lessons from Vics stuff ups were re aged care staff working multiple jobs, poorly supervised/trained HQ staff, why centralised health management doesnt work and importance of leveraging community groups for communication.

However, other states including NSW were already decentralised and had contract tracing teams better resourced, and were already leveraging community groups.

The Crossroads, Thai Rock, Batemans Bay and Funeral Clusters in NSW were seeded from Vic. We learnt those could be managed without a Vic style lockdown whilst continuing to take overseas arrivals. One aged care worker was exposed but quick action meant no other staff were infected and no residents. The lessons that enabled that were from the newmarch house failings, as vic was still in crisis at that stage.

You dont want to acknowledge that keeping this latest NB and Beralaout breaks out of aged care is due to improved procedures.

We learned that refusing international arrivals like Vic and SA did puts more burden on other states and makes it that much harder for aussies to get home. There was nothing that said we should stop allowing Aussies home.

A proposal to refuse international arrivals from one geographic region when that UK strain is already also in Europe and the USA seems flawed. Good isolation and infection control can manage the risk without ignoring our obligations to ourcitizens.

 

[dajop]

23 December was how long ago? And I believe now subject to certain conditions, you can now fly between Singapore and UK.

If it was so dangerous then the horse has already bolted. That's all I'm trying to say.

And are we supposed to leave Australians without any way to return to their home country? Also, due to actions by the state government it is essentially easier to travel from the UK to Victoria than it is from NSW to Victoria, at the moment

The guy suggested the council of experts does a risk assesment.

How many times do we have to explain that it was a website subeditor that extrapolated that to say he was suggesting we ban citizens from returning.

 

[dajop]

A proposal to refuse international arrivals from one geographic region when that UK strain is already also in Europe and the USA seems flawed.

It was a proposal by a newspaper/website subeditor to generate interest in an otherwise boring story. The article suggested a risk assessment. There’s a big difference

Why can’t people see this? This is how media works in 2021.

 

[Lynda2475]

You are the only one fixated on a headline - i never quoted that article anywhere. We are allowed to have opinions on what if scenarios, we can form those opinions on our own.

A risk assessement on one geographic region is flawed, as that strain is already outside the UK. You either have procedures that assume and therefore treat all arrivals as potentially having the worst strain or take no one.

The virus evolves constantly, and is always jumping into new jurisdictions. But without a magic bullet the way to stop any strain is the same, quarantine for 14 days, and ensure good infection control when cases are identified.

We dont need to consider locking out any returning aussie if we mange the risk properly.