Australian Reports of the Virus Spread

[Pushka]

View attachment 242289

It has now been confirmed that the two new cases were identified on a standard Day 11 test. Not HQ workers, so no daily tests and so they could have become positive anytime between their Day 1 test and their Day 11 test. .

That's a good outcome then. Last thing we need is the virus having a really long incubation period.

 

[RooFlyer]

A little information on Victoria's tracing 'reboot', FWIW: In parts:

Key elements of Victoria’s outdated and trouble-plagued contact-tracing system’s digital upgrade didn’t start until October 26 — the same day Premier Daniel Andrews announced the end of the state’s 111-day lockdown.

A 30-page government contract, seen by The Weekend Australian, reveals that the Boston Consulting Group was paid $11.48m to design and implement the COVID-19 digital contact-tracing system.
...

The contract was entered into to remove Victoria’s dependency on its existing Public Health Surveillance System, a more rudimentary and manual notifiable diseases system that was implemented in the state in 2012.

The contract reveals that while the project launched on October 26, the formal agreement with the international consulting giant wasn’t officially signed by newly appointed Health Minister Martin Foley until November 25.

As Boston Consulting and Department of Health and Human Services bureaucrats started the frantic work on October 26 to build the digital tracking system, Mr Andrews was announcing a careful road map to relax the state’s draconian second lockdown.

He had revealed in September that the antiquated contact tracing system — which left staff using pen and paper and fax machines — would be digitised.
...

The lucrative work comprised “development services”, “implementation services” and “professional services”, with all intellectual property rights over the new digital contract tracing system to be retained by BCG.

The contract meant that BCG was free to on-sell the new contract tracing system elsewhere around the world.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

 

[lovetravellingoz]

That's a good outcome then. Last thing we need is the virus having a really long incubation period.

Though it is possible that it could have been longer than 11 days with either of these 2 cases ie. They may have been infected several days prior to Day 1 ( as their household contact may have been infectious from say Feb 8 on) when they were first tested, but not yet capable of returning a positive test.

Or they could have been infected on any random day up until very recently prior to Day 11.


The important thing is that with the two ring method is that they were put into quarantine before they became infectious .....and that due to the 2 ring method all of their close contacts will already be in quarantine as well.


With them becoming cases it might mean that some more people will also now have to start quarantine. It would depend if there are additional people or not compared to the index case in their household.

 

[ethernet]

This is news, because I know of two 80 year old and one 90+plus people will NOT have the vaccine unless their WHO Yellow book gets stamped.
None of them use email, and one couple share a large eyesight impaired with big keys candy-bar style phone, the other legally blind. They asked me about the stamping to go along with the vaccine shot. I could not give them an answer. Anything to dispel public doubt is a good thing.

Australians to receive 'vaccine certificate' after COVID-19 jab, as new details on the 'enormous' rollout emerge

Australians are likely to be told by their GP when it is their turn to get the COVID-19 vaccine and will receive an emailed vaccine certificate after receiving the jab, new details reveal.

www.abc.net.au

In other news, poor people with prepaid phones that are not topped up on time are having incoming calls and sms blocked in as little as 20 days. I advised Kogan Mobile that they have disabled contact tracers and GP's to back-trace for Covid pandemic actions, but 11 days later they still have the block in that also prevents porting. This also means GP's will have no way to contact priority, elderly first jab candidates, if they say stuff it and get a new number. The communications minister should consider making new orders, and not renewing telecommunication provider contracts for such scandalous behavior that puts the community at risk and impedes the vaccine rollout.

So if you are a medico performing time sensitive Covid work, and the number called gets 'This number has incoming call restrictions' that profit comes before community safety.

 

[Lynda2475]

NSW reached a new milestone yesterday being the first state to reach 5 million Covid Tests. 41 days with no loal cases also a new record.

 

[nutwood]

A little information on Victoria's tracing 'reboot', FWIW: In parts:

Key elements of Victoria’s outdated and trouble-plagued contact-tracing system’s digital upgrade didn’t start until October 26 — the same day Premier Daniel Andrews announced the end of the state’s 111-day lockdown.

A 30-page government contract, seen by The Weekend Australian, reveals that the Boston Consulting Group was paid $11.48m to design and implement the COVID-19 digital contact-tracing system.
...

The contract was entered into to remove Victoria’s dependency on its existing Public Health Surveillance System, a more rudimentary and manual notifiable diseases system that was implemented in the state in 2012.

The contract reveals that while the project launched on October 26, the formal agreement with the international consulting giant wasn’t officially signed by newly appointed Health Minister Martin Foley until November 25.

As Boston Consulting and Department of Health and Human Services bureaucrats started the frantic work on October 26 to build the digital tracking system, Mr Andrews was announcing a careful road map to relax the state’s draconian second lockdown.

He had revealed in September that the antiquated contact tracing system — which left staff using pen and paper and fax machines — would be digitised.
...

The lucrative work comprised “development services”, “implementation services” and “professional services”, with all intellectual property rights over the new digital contract tracing system to be retained by BCG.

The contract meant that BCG was free to on-sell the new contract tracing system elsewhere around the world.

Nice to know we need to pay $11.48m for a task that the public service was already being paid for... Seems a bit like employing a committee to run the country whilst we are still paying politicians.

 

[jb747]

Presumably said public servants have since been sacked.

No, of course not....

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Most people, if not all, in quarantine will now have probably reached the day 11 or day 14 second test requirement. Maybe a day or 2 left if any still have a day 14 test.

 

[drron]

Presumably said public servants have since been sacked.

No, of course not....

More likely promoted.

 

[dajop]

Nice to know we need to pay $11.48m for a task that the public service was already being paid for...

I’m not sure I agree with what you’ve said. From the quoted article it’s not exactly clear what everyone is getting at. It was clear the contact tracing system Victoria had in place was not up for scratch.

It is not uncommon in the business world to bring in leeches consultants to upgrade systems, especially if the upgrade is needed urgently. I doubt the public service has the in house expertise to implement a new system so quickly - so bringing in outside help would have been very necessary.

And TBH $11.48m is a flash in the pan of overall government outlays during the pandemic.

The real problem here is why wasn’t it done sooner?

 

[jakeseven7]

it is not uncommon in the business world to bring in leeches consultants

Careful, we have some super high profile and well connected consultants on here who saved alot of our collective AFF bacon when VA1 went under

But I know what you mean.... we call them seagulls

 

[dajop]

Careful, we have some super high profile and well connected consultants on here who saved alot of our collective AFF bacon when VA1 went under

But I know what you mean.... we call them seagulls

Seagulls is more apt. Upon reflection I was erroneously mixing my metaphors, using a term that is usually applied to lawyers Of course I am sure we have a few of those on AFF too. ...

 

[lovetravellingoz]

I think today (well the from the swabs taken yesterday) marks the date by which all people in the community who were quarantined and who had not yet turned positive will have had Day 14 or Day 11 (based on their individual risk) test. It may well have been earlier as I simply do not know if there were any remaining people who needed to have a day 14 test.

 

[Lynda2475]

Over the weekend Vic were spruiking a new API to allow contact tracers to access attendance records at venues who are not using the official Vic QR codes. Would it not have been easier just to mandate that all hospitality, beauty and other high risk venues use official QR codes like they did in NSW and ACT?

Qld is also fnally adopting an official govt check in app (based on the Canberra one) this week. Again great idea but quite late to the party and weirdly also not mandatory.

Check in data enables easy mass sms contact as soon as an exposure event is identified, registering for govt QR code takes a few minutes so hard to believe amongst all the other restrictions that use of the state issued QR codes wasn't (and still isnt in some states) mandated.

 

[Must...Fly!]

Of course that would have been the easier way. I have no idea why the change wasn't made mandatory across every state jurisdiction after NSW did it. Their app and the WA one is by far the best. The Victorian one is not so bad either for a web page, but would have been much better to mandate it state wide.

The private ones are just annoying and who knows who holds your data.

 

[Lynda2475]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1366177030325198848

ABC News Covid Blogs reports:

Premier Gladys Berejiklian is at the Westmead Hospital Vaccination Hub and said 10,339 vaccines have been administered in the first week of the rollout.

"On average, around 50 people an hour - 48 people, to be precise - are getting the vaccine. This hub does have the capacity to put in more vaccinations and more bookings.

"After the first week, 10,339 vaccines have been administered in the first week. I'm really pleased with that result. NSW is well on track to reach its target of 35,000 vaccines administered in the first three weeks."

Ms Berejiklian said she wanted to know as soon as possible from the Federal government how many doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine her state was receiving.

"Our teams are ready and willing to step up and increase our capacity, but we just need to know how many doses we're getting beyond week four. We know what we are getting for the next two to three weeks, and beyond that point we'd like as much information as possible to help us prepare and scale up.

"We have the capacity to provide more vaccinations to citizens than we'd anticipated, we need to know how many doses [we have] to make that happen."

When asked if she was disappointed in the Federal government's lack of communication, Ms Berejiklian said it was a complicated logistical process to distribute the vaccine.

"As soon as we get the information we are translating that into jabs, which is great news. We are just asking that as soon as we have the information, as soon as we know how many doses we are receiving and when, we can plan ahead.

"These are logistical exercises in terms of the safe storage, safe distribution, refrigeration, staff being on hand, us being able to invite people to get the vaccine, so as I've always said, we are keen to bring timetables forward, if we know we are getting doses above what we anticipated we are keen to bring the timetable forward."

 

[SydneySwan]

ABC News Covid Blogs reports:

Premier Gladys Berejiklian is at the Westmead Hospital Vaccination Hub and said 10,339 vaccines have been administered in the first week of the rollout.

"On average, around 50 people an hour - 48 people, to be precise - are getting the vaccine. This hub does have the capacity to put in more vaccinations and more bookings.

"After the first week, 10,339 vaccines have been administered in the first week. I'm really pleased with that result. NSW is well on track to reach its target of 35,000 vaccines administered in the first three weeks."

Ms Berejiklian said she wanted to know as soon as possible from the Federal government how many doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine her state was receiving.

"Our teams are ready and willing to step up and increase our capacity, but we just need to know how many doses we're getting beyond week four. We know what we are getting for the next two to three weeks, and beyond that point we'd like as much information as possible to help us prepare and scale up.

"We have the capacity to provide more vaccinations to citizens than we'd anticipated, we need to know how many doses [we have] to make that happen."

When asked if she was disappointed in the Federal government's lack of communication, Ms Berejiklian said it was a complicated logistical process to distribute the vaccine.

"As soon as we get the information we are translating that into jabs, which is great news. We are just asking that as soon as we have the information, as soon as we know how many doses we are receiving and when, we can plan ahead.

"These are logistical exercises in terms of the safe storage, safe distribution, refrigeration, staff being on hand, us being able to invite people to get the vaccine, so as I've always said, we are keen to bring timetables forward, if we know we are getting doses above what we anticipated we are keen to bring the timetable forward."

Not sure why the Feds would not be falling over themselves to facilitate the vaccine rollout in NSW given that NSW has been the 'gold standard' (ScoMo's words) throughout the pandemic in managing cases and keeping the economy going.

 

[Lynda2475]

I guess part of the problem is most states havent managed to dispense even half of the doses they have received to date. Not surprising that NSW has administered the most doses in terms of real numbers, but seems to also be way ahead per population as well, Based in population differences, Vic and Qld should be 3 time the raw numbers of WA, but arent. WA ahead of Queensland with 1/3 population.

Wish there was a nice table showing for each state - number vaccines supplied, number vaccines given by State, number of vaccines given by Feds. Is the delay in some states due to the state or the feds (essential workers vs aged care).

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Of course that would have been the easier way. I have no idea why the change wasn't made mandatory across every state jurisdiction after NSW did it. Their app and the WA one is by far the best. The Victorian one is not so bad either for a web page, but would have been much better to mandate it state wide.

The private ones are just annoying and who knows who holds your data.

The public sector ones in Australia also have privacy concerns, though yes are probably more secure.

Australia: A poor model for QR data ‘attendance tracking’ - Digital Asia Hub

In Australia, two main technologies have been used for COVID-19 contact tracing: a Bluetooth-based proximity tracking app, and QR Codes to assist tracking of those attending venues or events. They take radically different approaches to the protection of privacy, including that the first is...

www.digitalasiahub.org