Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[dajop]

I don't know the current lag. The greater the number of tests the more the lag.

However with the tests priority is given to processing samples from those whom are more likely be infected, or who are more known to be at risk, or where they are in essential positions or high risk environment (ie healthworkers).

Just anecdotal evidence, neighbours of my partners mother, who are in hotspot postcode were tested when those postcodes were initially shut down, with cold like symptoms. All four tested on the Sunday. The three with D/L address at that address had results on Monday, the one with D/L outside the lockdown area didn't receive results until Wednesday. So it could be a mixed bag with lags. (BTW all negative).

 

[jakeseven7]

Concerns About New 'Transmission Event' in Western Sydney Mall


Dr Chant has asked anyone who has spent time in Wetherill Park’s Stockland Mall in the last two weeks to be “particularly vigilant for symptoms”.

“There are five recent cases that report spending some time in the Stockland Mall at Wetherill Park while infectious,” she said.

Dr Chant said she was also concerned a “transmission event” occurred at the Thai Rock restaurant in the mall.

A woman in her 30s who worked in the mall on July 9, 10, 11 and 14 has been diagnosed with COVID-19, and Dr Chant said people who had been there on the 10th, 11th and 14th should “watch carefully” for symptoms.

Between 8pm Thursday and 9am Friday, five more cases have been recorded, including three linked to the Crossroads Hotel cluster.

The cluster has grown to 42 cases, including 27 people who are linked to the outbreak but did not attend the hotel themselves. Some of those are cases of tertiary infection - contacts of people who were close contacts of Crossroads Hotel cases.

Tough new restrictions for NSW restaurants, bars and cafes as Crossroads Hotel cluster grows

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced a further tightening of restrictions on restaurants, cafes and bars, which from next Friday will be required to limit group bookings to 10 people.

www.smh.com.au

Latest Sydney locations hit by virus scare

Two new venues have been added to the growing list of NSW businesses that have been impacted by the latest virus outbreak,

www.news.com.au

 

[lovetravellingoz]

I did note one journalist asking about whether temporary morgues were being set up in Victoria due to current CV19 deaths.

The normal death toll in hospitals and age care facilities each an every month is about 2500-2700 or 90 per day. It also bounces around somewhat from month to month. So the scale of these new deaths would not be much of an impact on the morgue capacity that would be there for deaths that normally occur.

Death statistics | Births Deaths and Marriages Victoria

The law requires doctors and funeral directors to notify the Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages Victoria (BDM) of deaths. In the case of a reportable death, the Coroner must notify BDM as soon as practicable after being notified by the doctor.

www.bdm.vic.gov.au

Also balancing the CV19 deaths is that other forms of deaths have been reported to have been in the main down.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Just anecdotal evidence, neighbours of my partners mother, who are in hotspot postcode were tested when those postcodes were initially shut down, with cold like symptoms. All four tested on the Sunday. The three with D/L address at that address had results on Monday, the one with D/L outside the lockdown area didn't receive results until Wednesday. So it could be a mixed bag with lags. (BTW all negative).

I think what gets priority is being a close contact of a known CV19 case, type of occupation, risk etc. Consequently if not in those groups your test results will slower.

So lockdown suburbs being in closer proximity to more community cases probably were prioritised too, But with so many tests in the initial lockdown areas even they would have often been slow.

All the apartment tower tests were done quickly.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Advice for Regional Victoria .......courtesy of ABC Covid live blog

Regional Victorians encouraged to wear masks

Mr Andrews said people living outside the lockdown zone should consider wearing a mask when they can't socially distance:

"We are now requesting of all regional Victorians, if you are out and about and you do not believe you will be able to maintain that 1.5 metre social distance.

"So if you are in a taxi or public transport or an Uber or any other setting such as the shops, if you are out and about in regional Victoria and you do not think you can maintain social distancing then we request that you wear a mask.

"That is a small thing but it can make a really big difference in stopping the spread of this virus and keeping those low numbers in regional Victoria very low.

"So we do not have to change the settings and the rules for regional areas of our state.

"That mask can be home-made. That mask can be when you purchased, it can take the form of simply wearing a scarf.

"All these things, they never eliminate risk but they reduce risk and that is something that all of us should be completely focused on."

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

42 cases in regional Victoria since 1 July.
About 5 today

....ABC Covid live blog quoting various speakers at Vic press conference.

 

[Bundy Bear]

I'm surprised that meatworks seem to be at high risk at catching coronavirus as I thought someone in meat preparation would be really careful about viruses and stuff.

Same for age care homes, its almost like an infected person goes and visits them all

428 it very high.

One thing is that cases in Singapore that have really caused some problems with their foreign workers is that although they have had over 40,000 cases only recorded 26 deaths.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

NSW is hard to track through their daily updates at News - 2020 media releases from NSW Health

But 42 are linked to Crossroads Hotel, but from what I read the 3 under investigation are still not linked.

 

[33kft]

One thing is that cases in Singapore that have really caused some problems with their foreign workers is that although they have had over 40,000 cases only recorded 26 deaths.

Speaks more to the health and age of the infected foreign workers moreso than anything in particular that was done to protect them.

 

[p--and--t]

Hmmm look very similar....

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Hmmm look very similar....

View attachment 222683

Perhaps but in Australia’s case - the first spike was predominantly from overseas arrival (that were eventually put into mandatory quarantine), the second spike was predominantly community transmission (after the presumably a handful (or less than a handful) of cases of failed mandatory quarantine.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Zero for Canberra today. Plus they have arrested someone from Victoria who entered ACT on Wednesday without a permit.

 

[N860CR]

Speaks more to the health and age of the infected foreign workers moreso than anything in particular that was done to protect them.

Correct. The virus has not proven to be overly fatal, hence older and people with other medical issues are the risk. In a migrant worker population (ie generally young males who don’t have the same number of western health issues) aren't in any great danger.

Moving forward, I really think a better option is to look at protecting the vulnerable. The high number of cases reflect the high testing rate. Most of these people won’t be symptomatic and wouldn’t have presented for testing.

 

[teammongo]

I'm surprised that meatworks seem to be at high risk at catching coronavirus as I thought someone in meat preparation would be really careful about viruses and stuff.

The air continuously recycled. And probably unfiltered.

 

[lahlee]

The air continuously recycled. And probably unfiltered.

From what I have read it’s a combo of tight working spaces, cold temperatures and dry air.

 

[SydneySwan]

According to covidlive website, NSW did more tests than Victoria yesterday;

NSW 8 positive out of 24,467
VIC 428 positive out of 24,409

This gives me some confidence that there is minimal community spread in NSW as I would have thought there would otherwise be a lot more positives.

 

[p--and--t]

Perhaps but in Australia’s case - the first spike was predominantly from overseas arrival (that were eventually put into mandatory quarantine), the second spike was predominantly community transmission (after the presumably a handful (or less than a handful) of cases of failed mandatory quarantine.

Regardless of the source, in each case it shows regardless of initial success, what happens when restrictions are lifted and the general population start becoming complacent/go back to old habits - don't adopt a new "covid-norm" in everything they do.

 

[jakeseven7]

I'm surprised that meatworks seem to be at high risk at catching coronavirus as I thought someone in meat preparation would be really careful about viruses and stuff.

From what I have read it’s a combo of tight working spaces, cold temperatures and dry air.

- Very tight working spaces
- Cold temperatures (Virus likey!)
- Workers tend to also socialise outside of work (demographic related)
- Also they have alot of these plastic curtain things everywhere you walk through, like going into an old school cafe? Lots of touching of hard common surfaces. That was identified as a key reason as well

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Vic DHHS daily update:

(Note my bolding, plus I have re-arranged common cases like hospitals together)

Media release
17 July 2020

Victoria has recorded 428 new cases of coronavirus since yesterday, with the total number of cases now at 5165.
The overall total has increased by 415, after 13 cases were reclassified – largely due to duplication.

Within Victoria, 57 of the new cases are linked to outbreaks and 370 are under investigation. There was one case in a returned traveler in hotel quarantine.
Three new deaths have been reported since yesterday: a woman in her 80s, a man in his 70s and a man in his 80s. All died in hospital. To date, 32 people have died from coronavirus in Victoria.

In Victoria at the current time:

• 935 cases may indicate community transmission
• 2462 cases are currently active in Victoria
• 122 cases of coronavirus are in hospital, including 31 in intensive care
• 2669 people have recovered from the virus
• Of the total cases, 4729 cases are from metropolitan Melbourne, while 313 are from regional Victoria
• Total cases include 2698 men and 2441 women
• More than 1,250,000 tests have been processed
• Total number of healthcare workers: 394, active cases: 150 (of which the vast majority were acquired in the community)

Cases currently linked to public housing in North Melbourne, Flemington and Carlton are as follows:

• 280 cases are residents of various public housing towers in North Melbourne and Flemington. Investigations are continuing into how these cases are linked.
• 47 cases are residents of various public housing towers in Carlton. Investigations are continuing into if and/or how these cases are linked.

Cases currently linked to key outbreaks are as follows:

• 160 cases have been linked to Al-Taqwa College
• 23 cases have been linked to Glendale Aged Care facility in Werribee

• 38 cases have been linked to Menarock Life Aged Care facility in Essendon

• 36 cases have been linked to Estia Health aged care facility in Ardeer
• 32 cases have been linked to JBS abattoir in Brooklyn
• 51 cases have been linked to Somerville Retail Services in Tottenham

• 16 cases have been linked to LaManna Supermarket Essendon
• 2 cases have been linked to Kmart in Endeavour Hills

• 19 cases have been linked to the Northern Hospital
• 16 cases have been linked to the Alfred Hospital
• 16 cases have been linked to Brunswick Private Hospital

• 14 cases have been linked to St Vincent’s Hospital
• 12 cases have been linked to Western Health
• 8 cases have been linked to the Royal Melbourne Hospital
• 2 cases have been linked to the Mercy Hospital for Women in Heidelberg

• Five new nursing homes have reported cases: two cases have been linked to Aurrum Aged Care facility in Plenty. Single cases have been linked to Regis in Brighton; Grace Villa in Greensborough; Baptcare Wyndham Lodge Community in Werribee; and Bupa aged care facility in Sunshine.

My comment:

From Sutton the observation was made that we aged care and hospitals that infections are coming in via workers.

With hospitals there is not necessarily a lot of spread between workers or others or being infected in the hospital. Many of the hospitals have very large workforces.

 

[p--and--t]

51 cases have been linked to Somerville Retail Services in Tottenham

16 cases have been linked to LaManna Supermarket Essendon

While there is possibly/probably some interaction between coworkers outside working hours, the sheer number at one premises shows how infectious these disease is and how working from home (where possible) could reduce numbers substantially (in this case they can't obviously).

That whole premises needs review and all its workers retrained on covid procedures when at work. Don't trust anyone or any surface. Hand hygiene and social distancing folks