Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

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[Pushka]

Interesting graphic as to the current cluster. Best thing I guess is if the Nurse contracted it at the Hospital. Bad news is that they are the two who went to Byron Bay while infectious. Have they established the link with the historical case and the original Doctor or are they just taking a guess? And the Nurse had not been vaccinated yet was working in a Covid positive area.

 

[Lynda2475]

Have they established the link with the historical case and the original Doctor or are they just taking a guess?

This diagram was in the article I linked to earlier (#17,832)

To date they have not publicly confirmed any link between the Doctor and the Historical Case (i.e. the Landscapers brother), nor proposed any hypothesis based on them visiting a common venue or interacting with common mutual contacts. The only relationship I can see is that they are all UK strain. There must be at least one other person between the Doctor and the Historic Case, or the Historic case must have caught from elsewhere.

As the nurse worked in Covid area of hospital it is fairly certain she caught it there, then gave to her sister as were travelling together.

 

[Lynda2475]

From ABC News Covid Blog:

Gladstone, Byron declared orange zones for travel to Victoria​

We heard earlier that the Brisbane lockdown zones will become red zones in Vic — the Chief Health Officer has also declared the Gladstone Region and Byron Shire as orange zones under the travel permit system.

Anyone currently in Victoria who has been in those areas since 26 March must isolate, get a coronavirus test within 72 hours and stay isolated until they receive a negative result.

More on getting back to Victoria from a red zone (aka Brisbane)​

Victorian residents in a red zone can apply for a ‘red zone’ permit to return home.

From the day you enter Victoria, you must return straight home and self-quarantine for 14 days. You must get a coronavirus test within 72 hours of arriving, and again on day 13 of self-quarantine.

This excludes people who have attended a high-risk exposure site, who cannot apply for a ‘red zone’ permit and must instead apply for an exemption. Exemptions are limited and will only be granted in special cases.

Anyone currently in Victoria who has been in Greater Brisbane (City of Brisbane, City of Ipswich, Logan City, Moreton Bay Region, Redlands City) since 12 March must isolate, get a coronavirus test within 72 hours and stay isolated until they receive a negative result.


So Vic seemed to have moved on from locking everyone who was in a Red zone out like they did during Northern Beaches and instead now having that apply to only those who have been to a high risk exposure site. Small mercy.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Interesting graphic as to the current cluster. Best thing I guess is if the Nurse contracted it at the Hospital. Bad news is that they are the two who went to Byron Bay while infectious. Have they established the link with the historical case and the original Doctor or are they just taking a guess? And the Nurse had not been vaccinated yet was working in a Covid positive area.


View attachment 243679

Rhetorical question: what happened to shift testing or did that only apply to quarantine hotel staff and not hot hotel/hospital staff???

 

[Princess Fiona]

Rhetorical question: what happened to shift testing or did that only apply to quarantine hotel staff and not hot hotel/hospital staff???

HCW in hospitals aren’t tested routinely on shifts.

 

[Lynda2475]

HCW in hospitals aren’t tested routinely on shifts.

Probably time to introduce for any hospital staff working in a Covid ward. As Queensland doesn't have hot/medi hotels and move all positives to Hospital, those hospital wards should have the same testing regime for staff as hot hotels in other states.

As there isn't widespread Covid in the community, no need to shift test all hospital workers (i.e. those who do not work in/with Covid patients).

 

[antycbr]

Probably time to introduce for any hospital staff working in a Covid ward. As Queensland doesn't have hot/medi hotels and move all positives to Hospital, those hospital wards should have the same testing regime for staff as hot hotels in other states.

As there isn't widespread Covid in the community, no need to shift test all hospital workers (i.e. those who do not work in/with Covid patients).

Looks like the hot hotel idea would have been *less* risky than putting positive people into hospital wards. At least hot hotels have a higher testing regimen and are controlled environments with minimal interactions with positive people who are not in need of medical treatment (which seems to be the case for most people)

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Interesting graphic as to the current cluster. Best thing I guess is if the Nurse contracted it at the Hospital. Bad news is that they are the two who went to Byron Bay while infectious. Have they established the link with the historical case and the original Doctor or are they just taking a guess? And the Nurse had not been vaccinated yet was working in a Covid positive area.


View attachment 243679

To answer your question it is not based on a guess. He was identified and linked through contact tracing. Note that with the type of serology testing used in cases such like this that have a fairly good indication of whether the historical case is a relatively recent one or an older case, and they believe it was a relatively recent case. As he is not still positive though genomic linking is not possible and so the link cannot be categorical.

Key points:

• Authorities are confident they have identified the missing link between two COVID clusters in Brisbane
• A man identified on Sunday through contact tracing was no longer infectious
• The link between him and the PA Hospital cluster is "highly likely" says Jeannette Young

For a run through on the detail released, read:

Queensland Health says it's 'far, far too early' for us to relax after recent COVID cluster

Authorities warn against complacency, saying the state could still see more COVID-19 cases in the community over coming days, but so far Easter holiday plans won't be ruined.

www.abc.net.au

With the nurse genomic sequencing is normally very quick these days. That will probably link it to one of the returnees and given the passage of time it could well be a different traveller (ie different strain) and transmission chain than who infected the Doctor. If so that will make it a second quarantine breach.

 

[Lynda2475]

He was identified and linked through contact tracing

That contract tracing link was to his brother, not the Doctor. Genomics is what is linking the landscaper to the Doctor - per the ABC article I posted earlier.

But despite lovetravellingoz's persistence claims contract tracers have not actually found any overlap (i.e. common venue or contact person) that links the landscaper/his brother/their colleagues directly to the Doctor. It is a mystery how the virus got from the Doctor to the latest group and why there is likely someone else in between.

 

[Pushka]

To answer your question it is not based on a guess. He was identified and linked through contact tracing. Note that with the type of serology testing used in cases such like this that have a fairly good indication of whether the historical case is a relatively recent one or an older case, and they believe it was a relatively recent case. As he is not still positive though genomic linking is not possible and so the link cannot be categorical.

Key points:

• Authorities are confident they have identified the missing link between two COVID clusters in Brisbane
• A man identified on Sunday through contact tracing was no longer infectious
• The link between him and the PA Hospital cluster is "highly likely" says Jeannette Young

For a run through on the detail released, read:

Queensland Health says it's 'far, far too early' for us to relax after recent COVID cluster

Authorities warn against complacency, saying the state could still see more COVID-19 cases in the community over coming days, but so far Easter holiday plans won't be ruined.

www.abc.net.au

With the nurse genomic sequencing is normally very quick these days. That will probably link it to one of the returnees and given the passage of time it could well be a different traveller (ie different strain) and transmission chain than who infected the Doctor. If so that will make it a second quarantine breach.

Ive never read that it was based on contract tracing. I've not read how he was linked to the original Dr. Can you elucidate please? The words "highly likely' dont exactly sit with me as complete. Especially after the non party fiasco.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

HCW in hospitals aren’t tested routinely on shifts.

While true in Vic as well, I guess the issue here is that Qld were using their hospitals instead of hot hotels, and as such the key workers involved really should have had surveillance testing.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Ive never read that it was based on contract tracing. I've not read how he was linked to the original Dr. Can you elucidate please? The words "highly likely' dont exactly sit with me as complete. Especially after the non party fiasco.

Well if you read the link I just posted for you you can read it now

They have not released all the detail. Privacy would be one reason.

The article I provided the link to you with more detail included:

The man, the third to be confirmed as positive in this recent cluster, was identified through contract tracing.​

​

He is the brother of the first man identified and was not infectious at the time of testing, but serology results indicate he previously had been.​

​

Now they could be 100% incompetent, but have had several days now to have reviewed their position and they have not varied, and so the presumption is that they have good reasons for their statements.

 

[N860CR]

I’m not an economist... but I’d have to think we’re getting to close to the point where these “stop/start” lockdowns and border closures are going to be more financially damaging to the economy than just accepting an amount of “community spread” and maintaining adequate health measures.

I know politicians like to brag that we all live a largely “normal” life and therefore need to target 0 cases (and have a full breakdown when that doesn’t happen), but I think we’d be better off maintaining some level of restrictions (mask wearing, seating limits etc) than this on again-off again approach we’re currently taking.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

That contract tracing link was to his brother, not the Doctor. Genomics is what is linking the landscaper to the Doctor - per the ABC article I posted earlier.

But despite lovetravellingoz's persistence claims contract tracers have not actually found any overlap (i.e. common venue or contact person) that links the landscaper/his brother/their colleagues directly to the Doctor. It is a mystery how the virus got from the Doctor to the latest group and why there is likely someone else in between.

LOL.

They are not my claims. I have just posted what has been reported.

Queensland Health says it's "far, far" too early to relax, despite believing they've found the missing link between the recent cluster of cases, and a doctor who tested positive to the virus earlier this month.​

​

The man, the third to be confirmed as positive in this recent cluster, was identified through contract tracing​

Queensland Health says it's 'far, far too early' for us to relax after recent COVID cluster

Authorities warn against complacency, saying the state could still see more COVID-19 cases in the community over coming days, but so far Easter holiday plans won't be ruined.

www.abc.net.au

PS: Just read the article you referenced and it also states:

Dr Young said the man appeared to be the "missing link" between this cluster and the cluster that spread from hotel quarantine to the Princess Alexandra hospital in early March.​

​

​

​

 

[jakeseven7]

From ABC News Covid Blog:

Gladstone, Byron declared orange zones for travel to Victoria​

We heard earlier that the Brisbane lockdown zones will become red zones in Vic — the Chief Health Officer has also declared the Gladstone Region and Byron Shire as orange zones under the travel permit system.

Anyone currently in Victoria who has been in those areas since 26 March must isolate, get a coronavirus test within 72 hours and stay isolated until they receive a negative result.

More on getting back to Victoria from a red zone (aka Brisbane)​

Victorian residents in a red zone can apply for a ‘red zone’ permit to return home.

From the day you enter Victoria, you must return straight home and self-quarantine for 14 days. You must get a coronavirus test within 72 hours of arriving, and again on day 13 of self-quarantine.

This excludes people who have attended a high-risk exposure site, who cannot apply for a ‘red zone’ permit and must instead apply for an exemption. Exemptions are limited and will only be granted in special cases.

Anyone currently in Victoria who has been in Greater Brisbane (City of Brisbane, City of Ipswich, Logan City, Moreton Bay Region, Redlands City) since 12 March must isolate, get a coronavirus test within 72 hours and stay isolated until they receive a negative result.


So Vic seemed to have moved on from locking everyone who was in a Red zone out like they did during Northern Beaches and instead now having that apply to only those who have been to a high risk exposure site. Small mercy.

And kaput goes VA2's new Mel-Byron route they have been marketing so hard for Easter..... Oh dear.....

 

[jakeseven7]

Dr Young said the man appeared to be the "missing link" between this cluster and the cluster that spread from hotel quarantine to the Princess Alexandra hospital in early March.​

​

​

​

Better late than never....

 

[Pushka]

Well if you read the link I just posted for you you can read it now

They have not released or the detail. Privacy would be one reason.

The article I provided the link to you with more detail included:

The man, the third to be confirmed as positive in this recent cluster, was identified through contract tracing.​

​

He is the brother of the first man identified and was not infectious at the time of testing, but serology results indicate he previously had been.​

​

Now they could be 100% incompetent, but have had several days now to have reviewed their position and they have not varied, and so the presumption is that they have good reasons for their statements.

Yes. I know that tracing from days ago. I did read it back then. From the source. And the diagram I posted earlier shows this link graphically. That is not the link I’m interested in.

The only link I’ve been asking about here is the historical one and his link to the Doctor. And as I said, after the non existent 25 people at a party statement, their confidence without fact doesn’t appeal.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Yes. I know that tracing from days ago. I did read it back then. From the source. And the diagram I posted earlier shows this link graphically. That is not the link I’m interested in.

The only link I’ve been asking about here is the historical one and his link to the Doctor. And as I said, after the non existent 25 people at a party statement, their confidence without fact doesn’t appeal.

You may never know. They often, and indeed mostly do not, release all the information for reasons including privacy. They must have reasons for their claims though. But who knows may they are completely wrong The party they got wrong.


Mainly they make more information available when they think that there may be public risk benefit in doing so. But also they can just stuff up like the NSW Health Minister who outed the band involved in the Avalon Cluster.

 

[Pushka]

You may never know. They often, and indeed mostly do not, release all the information for reasons including privacy. They must have reasons for their claims though. But who knows may they are completely wrong The party they got wrong.


Mainly they make more information available when they think that there may be public risk benefit in doing so. But also they can just stuff up like the NSW Health Minister who outed the band involved in the Avalon Cluster.

Agree it's difficult but if it can't be linked then possibly there are still other cases floating around.