Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[lovetravellingoz]

Doubtful given Vic isnt acceptong overseas arrivals, and since that was suspended they have only had a handful of local people unable to quarantine at home in supervised quarantine.

Only a handful? You will be grossly underestimating the numbers of people who have been in supervised quarantine since international travel arrivals was suspended.

Your numbers are not correct as quite substantial numbers of essential workers were also in quarantine at various stages after international quarantine was introduced.

What will have been a handfull is those international travellers with compassionate exemptions.

Hospital workers, police, age care workers and even ADF were all in quarantine at various stages after workplace infection.

And then yes there also people from the general public who tested positive but could not quarantine at home.

And after that particularly later on when third ring measures became commonplace people entered the facilities to quarantine on a voluntary basis.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

The criticism of Victoria was how the security set up in the quarantine hotels was arranged by government as it led to a catastrophic outbreak . The South Australian outbreak is nowhere near the magnitude or has been demonstrated to have been caused in a similar way to Victoria ( amongst other things, behaviour of guards) so I don’t think there is any comparison. The Victorian government in my opinion deserved every measure of criticism it got. Hundreds and hundreds of deaths from the hotel mistakes. I am sure we will find out more detail about the South Australian outbreak in due course and if it can be traced back to a government decision, then the criticism will flow to them too.

The reports to date indicate that patient zero for the vast majority of the second wave cases in Vic was the night manager.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Doh! Good point!

Except that is inaccurate.

 

[Flashback]

SA 'second wave' fears may cancel Christmas

South Australia's outbreak has become a cluster and some of the other states have thrown their borders back up, ignoring Prime Minister Scott Morrison's pleas. And the ASX thinks it's got problems. This is Monday's virus briefing.

www.afr.com

Second wave? What? Second what? These guys are nuts. Get real.

 

[nutwood]

SA 'second wave' fears may cancel Christmas

South Australia's outbreak has become a cluster and some of the other states have thrown their borders back up, ignoring Prime Minister Scott Morrison's pleas. And the ASX thinks it's got problems. This is Monday's virus briefing.

www.afr.com

Second wave? What? Second what? These guys are nuts. Get real.

I think "facing potential for a second wave" might have been the intent of the quote. Can't spoil a good headline though! Mind you, it might happen. I'm booked to go to SA next week. Haven't cancelled yet but very much watch and wait.

 

[Flashback]

I think "facing potential for a second wave" might have been the intent of the quote. Can't spoil a good headline though! Mind you, it might happen. I'm booked to go to SA next week. Haven't cancelled yet but very much watch and wait.

What I'm saying is that there's not really been a first wave ...

 

[Pushka]

What I'm saying is that there's not really been a first wave ...

On that I would agree but we certainly had a couple of major hotspots like Qantas Baggage Handlers and Barossa Valley.

Same family but it’s likely another 14 have COVID symptoms. They’ve been in isolation. And likely we have lost our Test match. Why would they take the risk.

 

[jakeseven7]

 

[lovetravellingoz]

NSW 0 local. 7 in hotel quarantine.

Daily Cases of Overseas acquired and Locally acquired - COVID Live

Live tracking of coronavirus cases, active, tests, deaths, ICU, hospitalisations and vaccinations in NSW

covidlive.com.au

 

[NZflygirl]

I

I’d actually disagree. I think 7 days is too long. On average that could be 4-5 days infectious which is really where we are with SA....as was NZ. 7 days regular testing just gets us to know what we didn’t know.

The US Executive testing showed us this flaw.

I’ve had the test a couple of times and it’s ok but not sure I’d want my nose swabbed more often than weekly especially if there’s probably another year of this to go. It’s true you can be infected straight after your swab but need to draw the line somewhere. If workers get symptoms they can get tested earlier prior to their next test which is what happened in NZs November cluster.

Not sure the US is a great example. They seem to use testing in place of preventative measures. At least that’s my impression from my limited viewing of their situation. Too haphazard.

 

[Bundy Bear]

I’ve had the test a couple of times and it’s ok but not sure I’d want my nose swabbed more often than weekly especially if there’s probably another year of this to go. It’s true you can be infected straight after your swab but need to draw the line somewhere. If workers get symptoms they can get tested earlier prior to their next test which is what happened in NZs November cluster.

Not sure the US is a great example. They seem to use testing in place of preventative measures. At least that’s my impression from my limited viewing of their situation. Too haphazard.

Weren't the football players getting tested twice a week, and they were in their own bubble.

If you work in an people returning from overseas they should be getting tested.

 

[Lynda2475]

It was my understanding that they were proposing to use saliva tests not the nasal swab for rapid arrival tests for visitors and work places. If that is case, could test daily.

 

[Lynda2475]

Except that is inaccurate

You have evidence of regular non symptomatic testing of hotel quarantine workers in Melbourne? I cant find a source for this practice, nor evidence for significant numbers in hotel quarantine since international arrivals ceased. Dan seems gun shy to resume taking arrivals delaying for final inquiry report, hasnt tabled any evidence of improved procedures/training for those currently using hotels in Vic.

 

[Pushka]

COVID testing clinics being swamped again with queues of 6-8 hours then being turned away for closure.
Our new place is nearby the Port Adelaide one. The station is on the other side of the river here.


The cars snake around a car park and go back over the river then extend back to Military Road a couple of kilometres away.
It is pleasant now but 33c later and 36c tomorrow. And at least near the sea for a cooler breeze.



SA Health is now telling the Worried Well to stay away from the testing sites.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

You have evidence of regular non symptomatic testing of hotel quarantine workers in Melbourne? I cant find a source for this practice, nor evidence for significant numbers in hotel quarantine since international arrivals ceased. Dan seems gun shy to resume taking arrivals delaying for final inquiry report, hasnt tabled any evidence of improved procedures/training for those currently using hotels in Vic.

The inaccurate part (as in my reply to your post) was your claim that only a handful of people had been in supervised quarantine in Victoria since international arrivals were suspended. This is simply not so.




ie

https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus-covid-19-emergency-accommodation-program-hotels-heroes-guidance-and-screening-form

 

[Lynda2475]

COVID testing clinics being swamped again with queues of 6-8 hours then being turned away for closure.

Given the call for increased testing, why dont they just ad a few extra pop-up clinics? It really shouldnt be that hard to set up testing tents in some local parks/reserves or carparks.

 

[RAM]

COVID testing clinics being swamped again with queues of 6-8 hours then being turned away for closure.
Our new place is nearby the Port Adelaide one. The station is on the other side of the river here.

View attachment 233757
The cars snake around a car park and go back over the river then extend back to Military Road a couple of kilometres away.
It is pleasant now but 33c later and 36c tomorrow. And at least near the sea for a cooler breeze.

View attachment 233758

SA Health is now telling the Worried Well to stay away from the testing sites.

Very disappointing for day 4/5, annoying that those in charge at the planning level have not developed workable contingency plans. If one report I read is accurate (that >4,000 people have been instructed to self-quarantine & get tested) then potentially everybody else queuing for testing +/- one of the 'potential' 4,000 risks exposure. Standing for 6 hours+ (as happened on Monday) +/- 10m or so would quite likely see you at high risk of catching it.

The 'luck' seems to be that none of the long queuing testing have been positive cases (I hope that is the case).

After Monday's issues surely some additional nurses etc could have been drafted in?

 

[Lynda2475]

From News.com

Adelaide outbreak caught 'by luck'

Dr Chris Moy, the president of the South Australian branch of the AMA, said it basically came down to luck that the state uncovered its emerging coronavirus cluster.

Dr Moy said it came down to one persistent doctor, who insisted on giving an unwell elderly woman a coronavirus test.
South Australia had been coronavirus-free for seven months when the doctor pushed to test the woman.

The woman, aged in her 80s, is the mother of the quarantine hotel cleaner, who is believed to have contracted the virus from a surface inside Peppers Hotel.

The elderly woman was taken to emergency on Friday night, where she was showing mild symptoms of coronavirus.

Dr Moy said if South Austalia did get on top of the outbreak, "a lot will be due to some degree of luck".

"Because of the conscientiousness of a particular doctor who insisted that a patient with minimal symptoms have a test," Dr Moy added.

"Really to some degree that may make the difference and may mean that we've caught it early and it hasn't got to the Victorian level where it was going on for weeks."

Dr Moy said "by the grace of God" the doctor "stayed committed to that vigilance in a community that hasn't seen any cases for months and then that has actually closed this down".

The doctor's insistence meant South Australia had hopefully caught it quickly and would be able to "control it like a spot fire instead of it turning into a bushfire as it did in Victoria", Dr Moy said.

My understanding is that in NSW anyone admitted to hospital is routinely given a covid test, regardless of whether they have any symptoms or not. Very surprised to learn this is not the case in SA? Another improvement that is needed - shoudl e the case country wide.

 

[moa999]

Surely workers working in quarantine hotels, medi- hotels and any Covid wards should be advising their family to advise doctors of the higher risk

 

[jakeseven7]

From News.com

Adelaide outbreak caught 'by luck'

Dr Chris Moy, the president of the South Australian branch of the AMA, said it basically came down to luck that the state uncovered its emerging coronavirus cluster.

Dr Moy said it came down to one persistent doctor, who insisted on giving an unwell elderly woman a coronavirus test.
South Australia had been coronavirus-free for seven months when the doctor pushed to test the woman.

The woman, aged in her 80s, is the mother of the quarantine hotel cleaner, who is believed to have contracted the virus from a surface inside Peppers Hotel.

The elderly woman was taken to emergency on Friday night, where she was showing mild symptoms of coronavirus.

Dr Moy said if South Austalia did get on top of the outbreak, "a lot will be due to some degree of luck".

"Because of the conscientiousness of a particular doctor who insisted that a patient with minimal symptoms have a test," Dr Moy added.

"Really to some degree that may make the difference and may mean that we've caught it early and it hasn't got to the Victorian level where it was going on for weeks."

Dr Moy said "by the grace of God" the doctor "stayed committed to that vigilance in a community that hasn't seen any cases for months and then that has actually closed this down".

The doctor's insistence meant South Australia had hopefully caught it quickly and would be able to "control it like a spot fire instead of it turning into a bushfire as it did in Victoria", Dr Moy said.

My understanding is that in NSW anyone admitted to hospital is routinely given a covid test, regardless of whether they have any symptoms or not. Very surprised to learn this is not the case in SA? Another improvement that is needed - shoudl e the case country wide.

Should really be an inquiry then. Look forward to the Feds suggesting that shortly or No News Corp