Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[Lynda2475]

But I'm from Victoria and I agree with the restrictions!

Because you have been traumatised by Andrews prolonged lockdown. Things got out of control in Victoria in July, but you were locked up far longer than necessary.

Indicates you still don't trust your state to be able to contain things.

Recent cases loads in NSW not even a fraction of Victoria's second wave, no deaths, no one in ICU.

We are a few weeks away from vaccine roll-out commencing but at least 6 months away from a decent number of people being vaccinated to give any sort of herd immunity.

Even if 100% of population were vaccinated (which won't happen) no vaccine is 100% effective.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Because you have been traumatised by Andrews prolonged lockdown. Things got out of control in Victoria in July, but you were locked up far longer than necessary.

Indicates you still don't trust your state to be able to contain things.

Recent cases loads in NSW not even a fraction of Victoria's second wave, no deaths, no one in ICU.

We are a few weeks away from vaccine roll-out commencing but at least 6 months away from a decent number of people being vaccinated to give any sort of herd immunity.

Even if 100% of population were vaccinated (which won't happen) no vaccine is 100% effective.

You are talking about herd immunity. Many others, including myself, aren't. We are looking to see the vaccine reduce the severity of any illness.

I don't think 'traumatised' is right. We did what we needed to do. We got to zero. We all had a pretty relaxed and free-from-restriction holiday period. I don't know whether we would have had the same enjoyment if half were locked down (hotspots) and half weren't.

Rather than be traumatised we all appreciate the huge benefits.

Which would you prefer? Whole family can enjoy Christmas lunch together, or only half the family because the other half in is a lockdown hotspot?

 

[moa999]

Fourth day of local 0 in NSW (5 in hotel quarantine)
12,200 reported tests (but an additional 6000 all negative missed being included due to an IT issue so tomorrow's test number will be high)

 

[Pushka]

My guess is that a few more days of no new local cases will see the restrictions largely rolled back apart from WA.

Qld to probably take a little longer than other states to remove or reduce them. Maybe 28 Jan?

14 days for SA.

 

[beefarmer]

If we can manage Hotel quarantine in an effective manner in Australia then we will not hypnotised by the doomsday media with their daily death totals. In fact, I can't remember the last Covid fatality but our media does like to parallel and infer that a case is a death. It's really been a slow media ten months or so and if were not for the unmitigated Dan Andrews disaster in Victoria, all of this would be a non event. Getting this country back to where it was with international students' study and everything else will take at least two more years whereby the Covid vaccine and the 'acceptable deaths' will have been ironed out. The Swedish health official who mentioned last week that death was an acceptable part of the vaccine process might have been serious but I think she has a twisted sense of humour as well. Would I give this vaccine to an elderly person in a nursing home wanting to enjoy their last few years, or months, or days, on minutes after the jab? If it were my relatives, hec no.

 

[drron]

The Cth definition of a hotspot is 30 cases over the previous three days. But does that account for incubation periods? QLD for example can declare a hotspot is there's been an outbreak in the last 28 days. I would be wary if there's been just three days of no infection and then we declare it a safe zone?

The Commonwealth officially listed Sydney's Northern beaches as a hotspot on the 18th December.It was taken off just a week ago.Meaning there should be no hard borders to NSW anywhere if we follow the science rather than the politics of fear.

 

[Lynda2475]

You are talking about herd immunity. Many others, including myself, aren't. We are looking to see the vaccine reduce the severity of any illness.

Doesnt change the fact that it will take at LEAST 6 months to vaccinate all those who want it. So we arent weeks away from a vaccine for most people - whether you can about herd immunity or reducing illness, you need to have actually received the vaccine.

That said since the NB outbreak only 1 person has been in ICU in NSW (an overseas arrival), and we arent seeing alot of severe illness, only 3 or 4 hospital admissions from all those cases.

No one in NSW except those who have tested positive or have been deemed to be a close contact of some who has tested posotive should be locked out of any other state. There isnt a large amount of undected spread, if there was we would be seeing cases in aged care and people presenting to emmergency rooms.

 

[Pushka]

The Commonwealth officially listed Sydney's Northern beaches as a hotspot on the 18th December.It was taken off just a week ago.Meaning there should be no hard borders to NSW anywhere if we follow the science rather than the politics of fear.

SA reset the counter when the five? people tested positive last weekend.

 

[OATEK]

But I'm from Victoria and I agree with the restrictions!

The vaccine is just a few weeks away. Why would we want to embrace risk when we're so close? Contract tracing is only good once you know the virus is out there. Before they start tracing there could easily have been a super-spreader event.

The vaccine is just a few weeks away from what? I hope you don't argue that it is a few weeks away from keeping many people safe - that is many many months away. And if they decide not to vaccinate the over 80s with Pfizer (which seems the case) then whatever you refer to is even further away.

 

[Pushka]

We were having the discussion today on Flu vax. The mix being decided on what was prevalent last year and overseas. Flu barely exists in a Covid world so which coughtail do they know to use?

 

[zenyattamondatta]

The vaccine is just a few weeks away from what? I hope you don't argue that it is a few weeks away from keeping many people safe - that is many many months away. And if they decide not to vaccinate the over 80s with Pfizer (which seems the case) then whatever you refer to is even further away.

Exactamundo. The highly flawed 'severity' argument becomes even shakier if some of the most vulnerable people can't be vaccinated.

 

[Must...Fly!]

The vaccine is just a few weeks away from what? I hope you don't argue that it is a few weeks away from keeping many people safe - that is many many months away. And if they decide not to vaccinate the over 80s with Pfizer (which seems the case) then whatever you refer to is even further away.

Where is the discussion about over 80s not getting the Pfizer jab

Shouldn't be confused with the elderly in palliative care who maybe should not be receiving it

 

[Flying mermaid]

Where is the discussion about over 80s not getting the Pfizer jab

Shouldn't be confused with the elderly in palliative care who maybe should not be receiving it

It was the frail in Norway, as well as those in palliative care, but it seems a bit early to really know and also there is the Oxford one as an alternative.

 

[Lynda2475]

Tas have now copied the list of 10 LGAs that NT, ACT and Vic are restricting, moving the rest of greater Sydney to low risk.

Updates on thos LGAs from NSW health:



Based on these numbers there is no sensible reason for Inner West, Canada Bay, Burwood or Strathfield to be grouped with the Western Suburbs where the mystery cases are.

Per the calls for more testing - rates too low in Fairfield, Liverpool and Paramatta.

 

[zenyattamondatta]

It's just a pity that we have no real practice living with the virus, since about 87 separate things will have to go right in order for us to avoid it altogether.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Doesnt change the fact that it will take at LEAST 6 months to vaccinate all those who want it. So we arent weeks away from a vaccine for most people - whether you can about herd immunity or reducing illness, you need to have actually received the vaccine.

There's a difference between all those who want the vaccine and all those who need it. The vulnerable in groups 1b and 2 shouldn't take six months to roll it out to. As you say, the 'young' aren't likely to end up in ICU.

 

[drron]

Tas have had that list for some time but they do not classify them as red zones or high risk area which would mean a hard border but medium risk which means 2 weeks quarantine.So if you have relatives in Tassie you can quarantine in their home and if you are one of the lucky ones who also have a home in Tassie you can quarantine there.

They will review both NSW and QLD tomorrow,friday 22/1, according to the weekly email I get from TAS Health.

 

[jakeseven7]

Tas have now copied the list of 10 LGAs that NT, ACT and Vic are restricting, moving the rest of greater Sydney to low risk.

Its almost like we have an UNOFFICIAL National Cabinet working in the background

 

[Lynda2475]

Tas have had that list for some time

The ABC is reporting that list was 24 LGAs which were medium, but they downgraded 14 of those to low today, leaving only 10 as medium now (the 10 I posted) which happen to be identifical the Vic's Red zone (and whatever ACT and NT call their restricted list).

 

[Lynda2475]

the vulnerable in groups 1b and 2 shouldn't take six months to roll it out to.

They also wont be vaccinated in the next few weeks as you stated. Vaccinations start in mid Feb, but those vulnerable peopel are widely distributed and not all will receive vaccines in Feb.

If only those groups are vaccinated, the virus will still circulate and states which lack confidence will steep slam borders shut instead of trusting their systems.

I think you are being overly optimistic to think that completion of 1b and 2 will see WA and Vic to keep domestic borders open when there is a case elsewhere, they are both using hard borders as a political tool to stay visible in the news, they love the attention too much. They arent transparent re decision critieria, i dont trust that they will trust vaccinating a small portion of the population is enough to open up.

Time will tell.