General Coronavirus chit chat thread - non-travel specific

[juddles]

Don't agree with that. I prefer some contact, particularly when dispensing drugs. We have 20+ year relationship with our family doctor, the NHS must have a better safety net system than the one your describing

Post automatically merged: Apr 2, 2020

Q - why remove 2/3 of my post? If you're going to quote - quote!

I think I quoted your whole post?? What was the other two thirds?

 

[moa999]

Our screening exceeds the NSW gov half **** effort

Over 110k tested as of today in NSW.

Agree particularly among some high frequency medical centres, this virus helps prompt some efficiencies.

The bulk of the Healius (formerly Primary) medical centres require appointments for results or scripts. Easy $ for 2min visits - but that's the model of a bulk bill practice.

 

[amaroo]

It's not for new prescriptions, it's for repeats. They have checks and balances in place as well to trigger a phone check-in to ensure that the repeats being asked for are still valid. Works very well IMHO.

That being said, new prescriptions are no longer paper based; it's all electronic so those get sent straight to the pharmac_.

So, better, but not really.

For example - most scripts we get include repeats x 5. Done and dusted, just turn up and get it over the counter.

For new scripts, are you saying you're limited to one chemist? Not so here. Our doctor is precious! One doctor - any chemist.

Post automatically merged: Apr 2, 2020

Over 110k tested as of today in NSW.

Context is important.

 

[Pushka]

I read somewhere that SA is a world leader in the number of tests done per capita. We know of at least a couple of people who have been tested. Negative.

 

[amaroo]

I think I quoted your whole post?? What was the other two thirds?

My error - my bad.

I added further detail in post # 1158 page-58

 

[moa999]

Context is important.

And the context of your initial statement?
On the whole Australia's test rate per capita is up there, and NSW leads.

Agree with your statement on international travel.
Even if a vaccine takes 6months (and in doubt it) producing and distributing say 5bn units is not a quick exercise.

 

[juddles]

......

International travel is rooted for the foreseeable future, IMHO.

this time I did actually remove two thirds of your post - just because I am only referring to a part of it - which I completely agree with

 

[amaroo]

And the context of your initial statement?
On the whole Australia's test rate per capita is up there, and NSW leads

My post was about two rental applicants - nothing to do with anything serious .... it was a joke! Go back and take a peek

 

[VPS]

I read somewhere that SA is a world leader in the number of tests done per capita. We know of at least a couple of people who have been tested. Negative.

And all those people that wanted to close SA Pathology -

 

[Flashback]

For new scripts, are you saying you're limited to one chemist? Not so here. Our doctor is precious! One doctor - any chemist.

No, you can have it sent to any chemist.

 

[juddles]

I am still struggling to understand this whole thing. The "numbers" out there in the media are completely useless, even though they are just what is actually available to them. A common theme I have heard from medical people who seem to know what they are talking about is that the overall death rate from COVID is somewhere around 1% - give or take a bit. They are struggling, as we all are, with the lack of sufficient testing. It is not so much about who is positive and who is negative - at the end of the day the actual mortality rate can only be defined by testing EVERYONE eventually and thus deciphering who actually caught COVID and survived - it is way too early for that sort of info to come in. But as I say, the "experts" are all talking about somewhere around 1%. Not 10% as seen in basket case countries, but also not 0.1%

And obviously the fatality rate will depend also on medical resources - hence the whole "flattening the curve" concept. I really get the fundamentals of this now, and by God I hope here in Australia we take advantage of our extremely low population concentrations, great health system, and national decency, to come out of this as best can be. Already in society (at least here in Qld - suspect similar elsewhere) people have actually transformed to a much more socially/physically distant day to day reality - which can only be very good. Really this accomplishment has been made in unbelievably quick fashion - who would have thought just two months ago they could not go to the pub or to their gym? That restaurants would be universally closed!!

But the maths still scares me. I think the coming weeks in the USA will reveal the horror of this virus. I was one of those that at the outset took this whole thing flippantly - thought it was a storm in a teacup. But the initial info from China is now being shown to be incorrect, or at least not applicable to other societies. We face the very probable loss of many tens if not hundreds of thousands of our nation - this makes me very unhappy. The economic side, despite it being painful in some sense, to me just does not warrant feeling - we will not starve, our country will survive. It is the impending collective loss of so many loved ones that appalls me. I take heart in what I have already expressed - that it appears that most of society is adapting extremely quickly to a lockdown that will save people. And I also admire the intense and innovative strivings that our medical profession is taking to come up with more tools to beat that dreaded curve....

 

[amaroo]

No, you can have it sent to any chemist.

What happens if things change and you need to visit another chemist?

 

[Myrna]

Gripe!!! Telstra Bigpond internet not working for over a week! ... Hubby decided we have had enough so he signed up with a new provider. Will keep our fingers crossed that the connection will be successful this week so our niece can work from home.

Just want to report back - good news! today TPG technicians came and installed nbn successfully at home in Sydney Niece called us and internet was back so she would be able to work from home to do online lessons from home with her class for another week (until school holidays begin for 2 weeks). Parents have complained the 3 to 4 hours online lessons have been too long for the kids and wanted the online lessons cut in half of the time. Niece will have to contact Telstra Bigpond to cancel their broadband service - not going to be easy as they don't answer!

 

[moa999]

I am still struggling to understand this whole thing. The "numbers" out there in the media are completely useless, even though they are just what is actually available to them. A

We've done a shedload of testing - and the positive rate is still well under 2%.
We only have a few dozen in ICU.

We now finally have enough tests that they are opening up testing criteria.

I'm hopeful but the maths still says this will grow for at least another week, till the first lockdown has an impact.

 

[straitman]

We are travelling to get our flu shots in the morning. In the isolation period our wheelie bins travelled further than we did.
All ok over here in Western Australia Island.

I am glad you have them available as we certainly don't and our clinic doesn't have any clues about when they will arrive.

 

[PineappleSkip]

Bloomberg - Are you a robot?

There were many early estimates of China’s real case rate being much higher than the numbers they were reporting. The numbers coming out of Italy, with less than 1/20 the population of China, and other places are another indicator of that. That said, report numbers are likely to be understated everywhere, just to hugely varying degrees. ‘1,000,000 cases” headlines only hours away.

It fascinates me the way the media fixate on these flaky global case numbers, like they are calling the score on a Kafka-esque football game.

We've leased two properties in the last couple of weeks. One to a cardiologist, and the other to a couple of doctors - how lucky can you get.

Well hopefully they won’t stop paying rent due to lack of work

cheers skip

 

[p--and--t]

I am glad you have them available as we certainly don't and our clinic doesn't have any clues about when they will arrive.

If you have the opportunity, ring around a few clinics and (if under 65) chemists. There appears to be plenty of places with initial supplies. There has been a run in some places and they are waiting for resupply while others haven't received their initial supply yet.

Edit: Chemist Warehouse Traralgon has been taking appointments for the last week if that is anywhere near you.

 

[straitman]

If you have the opportunity, ring around a few clinics and (if under 65) chemists. There appears to be plenty of places with initial supplies. There has been a run in some places and they are waiting for resupply while others haven't received their initial supply yet.

Good idea thanks. No chemists for us unfortunately!

Edit: Traralgon is about 50km away. I can wait a little while if needed.

We did have an extra in mid October last year before heading to Europe.

 

[cove]

WA is about to be an Island by closing our borders.
Our doctor has done the rest of our family as they were not in isolation. Our turn tomorrow morning.
Being realistic if there are ICU bed shortages folks over 70 may not get admitted.......

 

[lovetravellingoz]

I am still struggling to understand this whole thing. The "numbers" out there in the media are completely useless, even though they are just what is actually available to them. A common theme I have heard from medical people who seem to know what they are talking about is that the overall death rate from COVID is somewhere around 1% - give or take a bit. They are struggling, as we all are, with the lack of sufficient testing. It is not so much about who is positive and who is negative - at the end of the day the actual mortality rate can only be defined by testing EVERYONE eventually and thus deciphering who actually caught COVID and survived - it is way too early for that sort of info to come in. But as I say, the "experts" are all talking about somewhere around 1%. Not 10% as seen in basket case countries, but also not 0.1%

And obviously the fatality rate will depend also on medical resources - hence the whole "flattening the curve" concept. I really get the fundamentals of this now, and by God I hope here in Australia we take advantage of our extremely low population concentrations, great health system, and national decency, to come out of this as best can be. Already in society (at least here in Qld - suspect similar elsewhere) people have actually transformed to a much more socially/physically distant day to day reality - which can only be very good. Really this accomplishment has been made in unbelievably quick fashion - who would have thought just two months ago they could not go to the pub or to their gym? That restaurants would be universally closed!!

But the maths still scares me. I think the coming weeks in the USA will reveal the horror of this virus. I was one of those that at the outset took this whole thing flippantly - thought it was a storm in a teacup. But the initial info from China is now being shown to be incorrect, or at least not applicable to other societies. We face the very probable loss of many tens if not hundreds of thousands of our nation - this makes me very unhappy. The economic side, despite it being painful in some sense, to me just does not warrant feeling - we will not starve, our country will survive. It is the impending collective loss of so many loved ones that appalls me. I take heart in what I have already expressed - that it appears that most of society is adapting extremely quickly to a lockdown that will save people. And I also admire the intense and innovative strivings that our medical profession is taking to come up with more tools to beat that dreaded curve....

Pretty much. But I think the mortality rate as per head of population is currently thought to be 0.5-1.0% where good medical care is provided. If hospitals are overwhelmed then can be a lot higher.

Comparing case rate numbers from country to country, or even within countries, is pretty useless as there are simply too many variables that are not the same. In particular how much testing per head of population is being done. Some countries are mainly just testing those that present at hospitals. Others are doing more wide-scale testing (normally targeted infections and suspected inferenctions) around including here in Australia.

What is a case is defined differently.

Also in some locations CV 19 deaths are only recorded from those that die in hospital. ie not at home or at other locations.

The overwhelmed paramedics in NYC report arriving at cardiac arrests and know from relatives that the person ha CV 19 type symptoms. But many die then and so do not go to hospital. o are they recorded as a heart attack, or as a CV 19 death? Who knows. But in overwhelmed jurisdictions the true death rate is likely to be higher than the reported CV 19 mortality rate.

And yes agree on the impressive transformation of Australian Society in the main to adopt social distancing and stay at home. But there is still a minority who do not appreciate the benefits of acting in this way and who seek to get away with things and/or not act on the spirit of the rules. In part the selfish and in part the ignorant.


Overall I am very optimistic about the current CV19 status in Australia and the direction that we as a community are heading in.