Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[Lynda2475]

The latest NSW cases (BBQ guy and his wife) did not take public transport, there was not a single bus/train/ferry/light rail route listed on the exposure sites.

Where there have been PT routes listed on past clusters (HQ cleaner for example), there have been no additional cases from those PT trips.

The most common place for community transmission is households (prolonged exposure), then Hospitality Venues (NB RSL & Bowlo, Crossroads Hotel , Thai restaurant), Retail (BWS, Woolworths), HQ/Hopsital, Places of Worship/Funerals and gyms.

 

[bcworld]

I guess my point was that I have not seen evidence that public transport is more likely to cause spread than say a crowded restaurant, perhaps less so as long as social distanced seating continues. So when people say why don't people wear them on trains for instance, then I think the answer is clear - they do not see the risk.

Some people say PT is different because there is no check in, therefore its a riskier environment from a contact tracing perspective...although in many cases there will be quite a lot of data from Myki / Opal etc.

 

[Lynda2475]

there is no check in,

There is on some Sydney PT. All the 400 series busses (from Leichhardt and Burwood depots) have individual QR codes to check into the vehicle (I know the 500 Ryde Depot dont have this but unsure about other depots).

Tracing on busses is easiest because you tap your opal /credit card on and off the bus, so they know exactly which bus you were on (and who else was on it unless they skipped tapping on). Whereas for Ferry, light rail and trains in Sydney you tap on/off at a station so there is no good record of exactly which service you ended up boarded or which carriage you were on.

 

[JessicaTam]

Some people say PT is different because there is no check in, therefore its a riskier environment from a contact tracing perspective...although in many cases there will be quite a lot of data from Myki / Opal etc.

A request went out on the weekend for Victorian MYKI users to register their cards to assist with contact tracing. Only about 1/3 of cards are registered.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

I guess my point was that I have not seen evidence that public transport is more likely to cause spread than say a crowded restaurant, perhaps less so as long as social distanced seating continues. So when people say why don't people wear them on trains for instance, then I think the answer is clear - they do not see the risk.

Yes agreed. Public transport cases rare. Restaurant/cafe cases much more common (though people tend to be maskless).

In the context of Australia at present community as cases are rare and so the risk on transport is tiny. Indeed I believe that the risk most places now is tiny.

Personally I think a lot of things should be not be restricted now (ie sport, music venues, transport), and instead just rely on:

• jumping any new case with the second ring method.
• people presenting for testing when symptomatic
• encourage good practices as that also lessens cases of the flu and common cold etc. which will no doubt start to ramp up again
• continued roll out of vaccination program

 

[lovetravellingoz]

New case in SA HQ which may have been caught in HQ or may have been inflight transmission:

Dr Kirkpatrick said 13 of those were acquired overseas, but investigations are continuing into how one returned traveller whose case was revealed on Saturday acquired the virus.​

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"We do have one case, a male in his teens, who was diagnosed with COVID-19 on his day nine swab in our medi-hotel. This individual was transferred to Tom's Court," she said.​

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The teenager was travelling in a large family group and was sitting in close proximity to other cases on the same flight.​

​

SA Health is "undertaking repeat swabs, blood tests and also looking at the genomics of this individual", Dr Kirkpatrick said.​

Victorian coronavirus case possibly linked to delivery of food at Adelaide medi-hotel

SA Health officials are still investigating how a Victorian man acquired coronavirus from another guest at an Adelaide medi-hotel, but say transmission could have occurred when guests opened their doors to collect food.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Carrots]

Meanwhile also in SA....


Opening businesses to full capacity will rely on vaccination rates, says Police Commissioner Grant Stevens

The title says it all.

This is in relation to clubs/pub being able to move from 75% capacity to 100%.

 

[jakeseven7]

Meanwhile also in SA....


Opening businesses to full capacity will rely on vaccination rates, says Police Commissioner Grant Stevens

The title says it all.

This is in relation to clubs/pub being able to move from 75% capacity to 100%.

Cool where are all the mass vaccination hubs SA has organised?

 

[Carrots]

Cool where are all the mass vaccination hubs SA has organised?

At the end of the yellow brick road.

 

[drron]

Cool where are all the mass vaccination hubs SA has organised?

The real problem SA has is having the Police Commissioner making medical decisions.
On the other hand being the Police Commissioner he may scare a few people into having their vaccination.

 

[nutwood]

Meanwhile also in SA....


Opening businesses to full capacity will rely on vaccination rates, says Police Commissioner Grant Stevens

The title says it all.

This is in relation to clubs/pub being able to move from 75% capacity to 100%.

Can anyone explain the logic behind this? If 90% of the population are vaccinated, there's still a lot of people who are not.
For me, a more logical statement would be that "opening businesses to full capacity will rely on fixing the leaks from HQ".
With no Covid in the community, there's no reason why venues aren't at 100 % now. With effective quarantine, Covid should not get into the community.

 

[jakeseven7]

The real problem SA has is having the Police Commissioner making medical decisions.
On the other hand being the Police Commissioner he may scare a few people into having their vaccination.

Lol the SA police commissioner is about as scary as a grumpy blow fly

 

[Carrots]

Lol the SA police commissioner is about as scary as a grumpy blow fly

His personality mightn't be, but his power is somewhat concerning.

Recent QR code blitz (named Operation Tracey ) has in one instance seen them hand out a fine to a butcher who's clientele didn't scan in. Like many a butcher (and many food outlets) in a mall environment, they literally have a display counter as a shop front, no one technically enters the store given the display counter is against the edge of the common area. Simply ridiculous to be handing out a $5k fine to such a small business, especially when people don't have to check in to enter the mall area.

 

[jakeseven7]

His personality mightn't be, but his power is somewhat concerning.

This is true, his poor execution of a border closure led to a tragic death which he seems to have skipped away from quite merrily from all accountability.

 

[Lynda2475]

From SMH.com.au blog:

Fragments of COVID-19 virus detected in Sydney’s inner west​

NSW Health says fragments of the virus that causes COVID-19 have been detected at a sewage network site at Homebush.

“This catchment area includes about 40,500 people and takes sewage from the suburbs of Homebush West, Strathfield, Rookwood, Concord West, Sydney Olympic Park, Wentworth Point, Newington, Lidcombe, Homebush, Silverwater, Petersham, Liberty Grove, Rhodes, North Strathfield, Concord,” it said.

It noted that several returned overseas travellers who had returned a positive COVID-19 test live in this catchment, and that people who have recovered from the virus can continue to shed virus fragments for several weeks even when they are no longer infectious. <Plus Covid positive arrivals needing hospital treatment are frequently taken to Concord hospital>

However, it urged people living in this area to be vigilant in monitoring for symptoms and getting tested if symptoms arose.

The state recorded no new local coronavirus cases overnight, and no new cases in hotel quarantine.

People aged in their 40s can now get their Pfizer vaccines at 25 new vaccination clinics across NSW. The state passed a milestone of one million vaccination shots on Thursday, as Premier Gladys Berejiklian says the state would need to vaccinate five million of its six million adults (so, ten million shots) to consider reopening international borders.

 

[kyle]

From The Age:
"The Department of Health said an electronic banking app had listed the man as having purchased items at ‘Woolworths Epping’ which led to an alert being issued for the plaza store which has been in operation for several more years than the newer Epping North store."

You would think the department would actually ask the person in question which store he visited?

 

[Princess Fiona]

From The Age:
"The Department of Health said an electronic banking app had listed the man as having purchased items at ‘Woolworths Epping’ which led to an alert being issued for the plaza store which has been in operation for several more years than the newer Epping North store."

You would think the department would actually ask the person in question which store he visited?

I’m thinking they did but a quick scramble after the fact can blame the banking App

 

[Lynda2475]

So if they were relying on banking app, the person must not have checked in using QR at the supermarket.

 

[DC3]

From The Age:
"The Department of Health said an electronic banking app had listed the man as having purchased items at ‘Woolworths Epping’ which led to an alert being issued for the plaza store which has been in operation for several more years than the newer Epping North store."

You would think the department would actually ask the person in question which store he visited?

He may not have had any idea what the store was called? “Woolies. Here’s my receipt”.

Edited

 

[Princess Fiona]

So if they were relying on banking app, the person must not have checked in using QR at the supermarket.

Correct and it isn’t mandatory at supermarkets in NSW to check in upon entry.