Coronavirus

[Baloo]

Corona has learnt how to fly. Not good.

I know early on in the piece here they were collecting all medical personal clothing/protection and analysing it for the virus. They found that the lower parts of the pants/gown and shoes had a lot more virus splatter than anywhere else. It was seen as evidence that the virus isn't airborne and that droplets headed down to the ground fairly quickly.

 

[DavidSSS]

I think you have to understand that the WHO will not make the call that COVID19 can spread through the air until there is enough evidence to say so.

It is the nature of science that they make these sorts of calls quite late and only with a truckload of evidence.

DS

 

[MD Jazz]

Looks like despite not locking down the Swedes got no economic benefit.

https://www.theage.com.au/business/...pandemic-cautionary-tale-20200708-p55a04.html

I imagine it will take years (post vaccine and beyond at least) before a proper assessment of each countries response (health & economic) can be accurately performed?

Years of work ahead for some!

The article is pretty limited in the measures it covers but the swedes appear to have got it wrong

 

[Sintiger]

Basically every other state and territory has got down to zero community transmission over an extended period and we never did. What that means is that as long as incoming travellers can be managed, there is no COVID in those states unless there is transmission between people who are asymptomatic and that becomes less likely over time

What Victoria had was 3 things . We still had community transmission so the virus was still circulating albeit at a low level, we had some big issues with Hotel quarantine and security staff and the behaviour of some of those infected has been truly reprehensible.

I suspect that's why we have gone to 6 weeks lockdown because the Government essentially wants the virus at a level where there are zero community transmissions for 3-4 weeks.

 

[Baloo]

Testing should be mandatory for anyone flying in, or living in a cluster area. If people chose their right to not be tested, we should let them visit Christmas Island for a few weeks. It'll be the first good reason for Christmas Islands reopening

 

[Coburgtiger]

Basically every other state and territory has got down to zero community transmission over an extended period and we never did. What that means is that as long as incoming travellers can be managed, there is no COVID in those states unless there is transmission between people who are asymptomatic and that becomes less likely over time

What Victoria had was 3 things . We still had community transmission so the virus was still circulating albeit at a low level, we had some big issues with Hotel quarantine and security staff and the behaviour of some of those infected has been truly reprehensible.

I suspect that's why we have gone to 6 weeks lockdown because the Government essentially wants the virus at a level where there are zero community transmissions for 3-4 weeks.

Yeah, pretty much.

It's a shame we didn't hold out to do that the first time, and it will have a terrifying effect on jobs and the economy that we didn't, but let's at least hope we get it right this time.

Do it properly, and we see that we can get a situation like NZ or the other states.

I do hope we haven't left it too late. We've never seen this level of community transmission before.

 

[caesar]

Apparently Jayco's are chock a block on the Freeways in their race to beat curfew and willingly infect those in regional and holiday destinations .

 

[mrposhman]

Apparently Jayco's are chock a block on the Freeways in their race to beat curfew and willingly infect those in regional and holiday destinations .

What do they not get about principal place of residence? Dan was very specific on this in the press conference yesterday. People don't realise how selfish these acts are.

 

[Ridley]

What do they not get about principal place of residence? Dan was very specific on this in the press conference yesterday. People don't realise how selfish these acts are.

Yep that is horrendously self centred. Shame on those people.

 

[mrposhman]

Stories on the news that people from the hotspots in Melbourne being caught at the NSW border. What a bunch of self centred pricks. Do they not realise that the quicker we get this under control, the quicker we can release some of the restrictions. Try to break them, and you bet this could extend the time that we have to be under restriction.

 

[sconies]

I know people who went from Melbourne to Sydney on a Qantas flight yesterday morning as well, and weren't checked or told to self-isolate, yikes.

NSW-Victoria coronavirus breach after Melbourne Jetstar flight lands in Sydney where passengers aren't screened for COVID-19

Passengers on a flight from Melbourne to Sydney last night disembarked without being screened by NSW Health officials, in a major breach of the state's coronavirus protocols.

Key points:

• The mistake was revealed in an email that was leaked to the ABC
• The email also warned there could be "a lot of media attention" about the incident
• The passengers from last night's flight are supposed to be self-isolating for 14 days

An email from Sydney Airport leaked to the ABC claims Jetstar breached NSW Government health orders by allowing travellers on flight JQ520, which landed at 6:53pm, to get off without being checked.

"The final JQ flight arrived and staff enabled disembarkation without NSW Health and police in attendance, breaching the arrivals screening protocols," the email read.

Forty-eight passengers were on board the flight and some were contacted in the terminal once they dispersed.

Yesterday, the NSW Government introduced new laws that banned anyone from Greater Melbourne travelling to NSW except under "exceptional circumstances", such as accessing urgent medical care or fulfilling legal obligations.

The breach means all passengers on the plane — who would be required to self-isolate for two weeks — were allowed into Sydney without scrutiny.

 

[Ridley]

I know people who went from Melbourne to Sydney on a Qantas flight yesterday morning as well, and weren't checked or told to self-isolate, yikes.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07...ssengers-from-melbourne-not-screened/12433286

Wow given everything that has gone on in the past two weeks that is beyond poor. Staggering ineptitude

It will be pure luck if this doesn't cause community transmission in NSW. Hopefully it is pure luck and no one on that flight was infected.

 

[MD Jazz]

I do hope we haven't left it too late. We've never seen this level of community transmission before.

We have not here but NSW had 17 days straight of 80 plus new cases. They increased over 2000 cases in 2 weeks back end of March/start April ending April 5th. By the end Apr they were down to single digit new cases and have barely been above that since. Many of the new cases now are returning travellers.

In VIC in that same 2 week period we had just over 900 cases. We dropped to just under 60 cases in the last 2 weeks of April up to 2nd May - averaging about 4 new cases a day. In that same period NSW had approx 75 new cases or around 6 a day.

The Cedar meats outbreak and quarantine outbreak have essentially resulted in the increase we now see. The graph below is stark in showing their impact.

https://interactive.guim.co.uk/embed/aus/2020/yacht-charter-v5/index.html?key=australian-states-daily-covid-cases-2020&location=yacht-charter-data

NSW had no such preventable outbreaks and has been back down to averaging less than 10 cases a day (mostly returned travellers in quarantine). Are they out of the woods? Probably not but from the position they were in it would appear they have managed it well. Is it just down to luck?

Hopefully in VIC we can see the new cases quickly reduce (the graphs show it is probable with the lockdown) and get back to few new cases. Hopefully no other state has any outbreaks - if they can manage the next 6 weeks with low community transmission it should help VIC navigate the way as well.

 

[Althom]

Must be time for the authorities to consider commandeering sites, other than hotels, that can be used for people trying to bust through containment and locking them up for the duration. Nothing going on at the MCG at the moment.......................

 

[22nd Man]

Sure. It was a good post.

Then we are on the same tram when it comes to use of like emoji. Doesn't have to mean agree or endorsement...

 

[22nd Man]

Must be time for the authorities to consider commandeering sites, other than hotels, that can be used for people trying to bust through containment and locking them up for the duration. Nothing going on at the MCG at the moment.......................

I was saying at my last away from home dinner tonight that there is a massive business for anyone who can run an efficient quarantine centre for next years intake of foreign students.

 

[22nd Man]

There was an excellent, passionate call on SEN just now..
Basically questioned the resumption of the football codes before the eradication of the virus. Now I love watching footy as much as anybody here but it really hit a nerve with me.
Not so much about whether it was safe for the players to play but more so the false sense of security that watching footy provides to the public in the midst of a pandemic. How it creates a sense of normality when footballers are crashing into each other in a contact sport. It makes things seem not that bad & puts our minds at rest.
I thought it made a lot of sense because I know personally that when I've watched games that I've been guilty of relaxing my own social distancing measures when socialising with others. You try not to but it's not hard to drop the ball.
So I guess if you're critical of those that march for BLM or security guards or politicians, ask yourself whether there are times when you haven't been social distancing rigorously yourself. Because ultimately we are all in this together & it only takes one spark to start a wildfire with this virus.
So yeah enjoy the footy at all means but don't think it's resumption hasn't somewhat contributed to the issues we are now facing. We all have to do the right thing until we get on top of this thing.

Drawing a very long bow there Baloo.
Sort of advocating we all wear a hair shirt until it's over. And as much as we love footy huge parts of the pop don't even know it's on in normal times let alone now.

 

[tigerdell]

You also keep saying there's no data or facts to suggest this is true. Well here's a bit.
......

Then there's the two big ones from failures in hotel quarantine:

Stamford Plaza/Monash Health/Hallam family
Area: Melbourne, Hallam

Cluster declared: 15 June (Monash Health/Hallam), 17 June (Stamford Plaza)

Current size: eight (Monash Health/Hallam), 42 (Stamford Plaza)

What we know: When combined, these two interconnected clusters account for one of the largest outbreaks in the state, with 27 cases, but officially they are considered separate by the health department.

The Monash Health outbreak, later known as the Hallam family outbreak, was announced when a patient at Monash Health was linked to two more cases, a household contact and a healthcare worker.

By 17 June it was considered to be primarily family-based rather than connected to the clinic.

The same day a worker tested positive at the Stamford Plaza Hotel, which was being used for returned traveller quarantine. This cluster quickly grew and on 19 June it was suggested that one infected security contractor was actually a household contact of the Hallam family.

Victoria’s chief health officer, Brett Sutton, has since confirmed that it was this worker, who was infected at the hotel, who brought the virus to their family and started Hallam outbreak.

It has been suggested by the premier that a large number of Melbourne’s cases can be linked back to hotel quarantine breaches by genomic testing, but the total is unknown."

Now it may turn out that some of these family clusters have direct links to hotel quarantine failures too. But the simple fact is, they have spread like wildfire due to our state being completely open again, and the prevailing feeling that the pandemic was over as we opened everything up.

......

Thanks CT, and I dont disagree with your viewpoint.
One side question i have is regarding the hotel quarantine. We keep reading about it as a continuing and widespread failure.
Or in Ezy's language there was copious shagging and smoke sharing.

But does the data show that?
In the data above is 1 cluster.
That spread due to poor work practices at 1 security firm and also into their families.

Obviously it only needs 1 hole in the net to get through, but is it widespread deficiency or the failure of a private security company and inadequate oversight?

 

[LeeToRainesToRoach]

Then we are on the same tram when it comes to use of like emoji. Doesn't have to mean agree or endorsement...

I particularly liked the strong independent opinion that the protest was a factor, and noted that nobody came from the trees to insult or condemn, or even question.

Only bit I don't necessarily agree with is the weather. Tassie is a couple of degrees colder than Victoria and hasn't had a new case in more than seven weeks.

 

[Baloo]

Drawing a very long bow there Baloo.
Sort of advocating we all wear a hair shirt until it's over. And as much as we love footy huge parts of the pop don't even know it's on in normal times let alone now.

While we're both good looking stallions, I am not ToO.