Australian Response

[Deleted User]

Community testing has started late last week. Fingers crossed that it isn't widespread as it looks like eradication is viable here. Should be some results today.

I know a couple who were tested Friday with results due today. Prior to Friday they wouldn't have met criteria for testing.

If the numbers remain low then maybe summer will really help Europe and North America?? If Australia gets away with it then they were really lucky.

Thargor

Anyone seen any analysis on why their numbers are so low?

Danno

Thargor wrote: »

Anyone seen any analysis on why their numbers are so low?

Health Minister Greg Hunt said Australia had achieved success in limiting the spread of the virus, in part, by going against WHO advice. We do know there was very considerable criticism when we imposed on 1 February the China ban from some of the officials and the WHO in Geneva.

[Deleted User]

Everyone should really have banned travel to and from China as soon as they locked down Wuhan.

mandrake04

blindjustice wrote: »

Community testing has started late last week. Fingers crossed that it isn't widespread as it looks like eradication is viable here. Should be some results today.

I know a couple who were tested Friday with results due today. Prior to Friday they wouldn't have met criteria for testing.

If the numbers remain low then maybe summer will really help Europe and North America?? If Australia gets away with it then they were really lucky.

I been tested 3 times, got results back before 9am next day twice and same day once.

CV19 belongs to corona virus family as does the common cold which has a seasonal distribution less dramatic than influenza, it might make a difference but personally I wouldn’t put money on it.

Bit cynical

blindjustice wrote: »

Community testing has started late last week. Fingers crossed that it isn't widespread as it looks like eradication is viable here. Should be some results today.

I don't think eradication is possible with so many asymptomatic spreaders. It only takes one infected to start the whole thing off and then restrictions have to be imposed again.

AngryHippie

mandrake04 wrote: »

I been tested 3 times, got results back before 9am next day twice and same day once.

I've been tested twice (Turned out Ross River and Pneumonia were the culprits)
Arbovirus results took a week.
It was fairly early days (Mid March and early April) it took 36 hours to get results back. Negative on both counts.

Closing Gyms, Pubs and clubs seems to have been the sledgehammer that it took to really impact social gatherings.

It's weird walking into a big shopping center and only seeing one or two people, or driving down the streets of Brisbane on a Saturday night and the streets being practically empty.

I think that is why the numbers seem low, they ARE low, because people have withdrawn back to their homes and take precautions when out and about.

mandrake04

AngryHippie wrote: »

I've been tested twice (Turned out Ross River and Pneumonia were the culprits)
Arbovirus results took a week.
It was fairly early days (Mid March and early April) it took 36 hours to get results back. Negative on both counts.

Closing Gyms, Pubs and clubs seems to have been the sledgehammer that it took to really impact social gatherings.

It's weird walking into a big shopping center and only seeing one or two people, or driving down the streets of Brisbane on a Saturday night and the streets being practically empty.

I think that is why the numbers seem low, they ARE low, because people have withdrawn back to their homes and take precautions when out and about.

I work in hospitals and in particular working in areas of high risk, I have had CV19 symptoms on and off for more than a month but it’s now believed to be just tonsillitis and likely need to get them out at some stage LOL

mandrake04

Bit cynical wrote: »

I don't think eradication is possible with so many asymptomatic spreaders. It only takes one infected to start the whole thing off and then restrictions have to be imposed again.

That sounds a bit cynical ...bit cynical

ChikiChiki

Australia seem to be a bit of an enigma. As they ease restrictions how is this expected to play out?

I've family members over there out of work with no savings. Both construction WHV jobs lost to Covid 19. My advice for them was to come home and get the supports here from family and welfare. They paid into our system long enough. But now if its opening up they might be better to stay and I can support them for a temporary period? Are Australia going towards herd immunity?

My own opinion is that we are looking at 18 months on/off disruption. I would prefer them to be over there if it is more likely they will be employed rather than here sitting around. But saying that if they are over there and out of work every second month, I don't have the financial means to support them.

It's a conundrum for me.

Gael23

ChikiChiki wrote: »

Australia seem to be a bit of an enigma. As they ease restrictions how is this expected to play out?

I've family members over there out of work with no savings. Both construction WHV jobs lost to Covid 19. My advice for them was to come home and get the supports here from family and welfare. They paid into our system long enough. But now if its opening up they might be better to stay and I can support them for a temporary period?

My own opinion is that we are looking at 18 months on/off disruption. I would prefer them to be over there if it is more likely they will be employed rather than here sitting around. But saying that if they are over there and out of work every second month, I don't have the financial means to support them.

It's a conundrum for me.

If I was in that situation I would see coming back t9 Ireland as the only option open

mandrake04

ChikiChiki wrote: »

Australia seem to be a bit of an enigma. As they ease restrictions how is this expected to play out?

I've family members over there out of work with no savings. Both construction WHV jobs lost to Covid 19. My advice for them was to come home and get the supports here from family and welfare. They paid into our system long enough. But now if its opening up they might be better to stay and I can support them for a temporary period? Are Australia going towards herd immunity?

My own opinion is that we are looking at 18 months on/off disruption. I would prefer them to be over there if it is more likely they will be employed rather than here sitting around. But saying that if they are over there and out of work every second month, I don't have the financial means to support them.

It's a conundrum for me.

Herd immunity requires roughly 60% of the population to have been infected and (in theory) gained immunity, so far we are at 0.024% and daily case numbers are down to single digits....so that would be a no.

Although restrictions might be eased in the near future the restriction on international travel will definitely remain until next year.

Construction is still in operation any reason why they were cut?

Frank12

How long do people see Australia closing their international borders for ? I see that they were hinting at 6 months , worse case scenario , they are doing a great job atm keeping there cases down to single digits and I expect borders to be closed for the next 12-16 weeks minimum but when they realise a vaccine is minimum 12-18 months away and the damage it is doing to the economy tourism and work they will open up borders but not many people will be travelling/holidaying there this year

Gael23

Frank12 wrote: »

How long do people see Australia closing their international borders for ? I see that they were hinting at 6 months , worse case scenario , they are doing a great job atm keeping there cases down to single digits and I expect borders to be closed for the next 12-16 weeks minimum but when they realise a vaccine is minimum 12-18 months away and the damage it is doing to the economy tourism and work they will open up borders but not many people will be travelling/holidaying there this year

Eventually the economic reality will bite and their stance will change

Frank12

Gael23 wrote: »

Eventually the economic reality will bite and their stance will change

I would agree, I say once they are over their winter in Approx 12-16 , they will ease the closed border stance and require self isolation etc like most countries.

Gael23

Frank12 wrote: »

I would agree, I say once they are over their winter in Approx 12-16 , they will ease the closed border stance and require self isolation etc like most countries.

12-16 weeks you mean?

Frank12

Gael23 wrote: »

12-16 weeks you mean?

Yes sorry 12-16 weeks imo.

Peregrinus

Gael23 wrote: »

Eventually the economic reality will bite and their stance will change

The problem here is that modest relaxation of the border closure won't do much to ease the adverse economic impact. If instead of closing the border Australia allows entry, subject to a 14-day isolation requirement, that will do nothing to revive the tourism industry, and very little to revive the education industry. And yet opening the border and not imposing strict isolation would be unthinkable, if Australia has largely elimimated the disease while other countries have not.

Western Australia has said that it does not envisage reopening the state border with the rest of Australia for 6 months. If that is typical of the line being taken on internal borders, expect longer closure of the international border.

MadYaker

ChikiChiki wrote: »

Australia seem to be a bit of an enigma. As they ease restrictions how is this expected to play out?

I've family members over there out of work with no savings. Both construction WHV jobs lost to Covid 19. My advice for them was to come home and get the supports here from family and welfare. They paid into our system long enough. But now if its opening up they might be better to stay and I can support them for a temporary period? Are Australia going towards herd immunity?

My own opinion is that we are looking at 18 months on/off disruption. I would prefer them to be over there if it is more likely they will be employed rather than here sitting around. But saying that if they are over there and out of work every second month, I don't have the financial means to support them.

It's a conundrum for me.

Sounds like it’s a conundrum for them, I assume these aren’t kids you’re talking about? There’s jobs outside of construction. I wish my parents would have bank rolled me like that. Once I got a job I was on my own.

Peregrinus

MadYaker wrote: »

Sounds like it’s a conundrum for them, I assume these aren’t kids you’re talking about? There’s jobs outside of construction. I wish my parents would have bank rolled me like that. Once I got a job I was on my own.

Ah, yes, but what you need to realise is that your parents didn't love you.

[Deleted User]

Peregrinus wrote: »

Ah, yes, but what you need to realise is that your parents didn't love you.

Or maybe they loved him so much they decided not to disable him and to take him off the breast when he reached 18 thus allowing him to understand the world and make real life sense of it all.

derfderf

klopparama wrote: »

Or maybe they loved him so much they decided not to disable him and to take him off the breast when he reached 18 thus allowing him to understand the world and make real life sense of it all.

Yes, part of becoming an adult is living through a pandemic, unemployed, with no social security, in a country on the far side of the planet.

Sundy

Frank12 wrote: »

How long do people see Australia closing their international borders for ? I see that they were hinting at 6 months , worse case scenario , they are doing a great job atm keeping there cases down to single digits and I expect borders to be closed for the next 12-16 weeks minimum but when they realise a vaccine is minimum 12-18 months away and the damage it is doing to the economy tourism and work they will open up borders but not many people will be travelling/holidaying there this year

International tourism accounts for 3.1% of GDP so it's quite import for Australia but quite a bit of this can be offset by the increase of internal tourism one regional and state borders open again.

Given the current success I think the Australian Government will be slow to have a blanket opening to overseas visitors for 6-12 months however I do think we could see travel agreements with countries like New Zealand reasonably soon.

Frank12

Sundy wrote: »

International tourism accounts for 3.1% of GDP so it's quite import for Australia but quite a bit of this can be offset by the increase of internal tourism one regional and state borders open again.

Given the current success I think the Australian Government will be slow to have a blanket opening to overseas visitors for 6-12 months however I do think we could see travel agreements with countries like New Zealand reasonably soon.

Yeah I say they could open borders up with NZ. Both countries seem to be managing the virus for now . Hoping international borders open up in 6 months time myself.

mandrake04

Sundy wrote: »

International tourism accounts for 3.1% of GDP so it's quite import for Australia but quite a bit of this can be offset by the increase of internal tourism one regional and state borders open again.

Given the current success I think the Australian Government will be slow to have a blanket opening to overseas visitors for 6-12 months however I do think we could see travel agreements with countries like New Zealand reasonably soon.

A few of top tier Diagnostic companies have just released FDA approved Lab based serology tests especially a Total protein test by RD on their elecsys platform and Abbott IgG for the Architect both of which is common in Australia and NZ. You will see a trial of immunity certification before opening up to other parts of the world.

ShineOn7

Have they, reletively speaking, dodged a huge bullet with Covid?

Australia calls on younger people to get virus tests as reopening accelerates

https://www.rte.ie/news/2020/0523/1140151-coronavirus-world/

As we are freeing up our restrictions, particularly around clubs and hotels and so on, we need [to send] a very powerful message ... that these young people who may think they are invincible are actually not invincible," he added


Young people in Sydney enjoy a drive-in live concert amid the coronavirus pandemic

NSW has recorded a total of 3,086 coronavirus cases and has recorded nearly half the country's total deaths, which rose by one to 102 today.
Victoria, where the latest death occurred, reported nine new infections in the previous day. The third-most populous state, Queensland, reported two new cases.


Australia's low number of Covid-19 infections and deaths, relative to many other countries, has been attributed mostly to a closure of national and state borders and a nationwide stay-home order now being unwound by states under a three-step federal plan.

derfderf

ShineOn7 wrote: »

Have they, reletively speaking, dodged a huge bullet with Covid?





https://www.rte.ie/news/2020/0523/1140151-coronavirus-world/

I think that's the general feeling. Sydney has a huge Asian population, and they take these things seriously. Hand sanitizer was sold out everywhere from early Feb. The hoarding started much earlier than Ireland.
As inconvenient as it was, it does make it hard to forget that things aren't normal when the supermarkets look like the world has ended.

Everyone is back in my office over the next couple of weeks.
If there is another outbreak, they should be able to contain it. Particularly with the international border staying closed.
I was shopping at the weekend, and people are ignoring the 1 person per lift rule. They're not cramming in shoulder to shoulder like before though.
I don't think it's over yet, but i don't see Australia shooting up the worldometer table.

derfderf

Well, I jinxed it.

ShineOn7

The woman who was the chief advisor on the film Contagion said that Australia wouldn't really be hit by this till July. If I remember right she said it was because this was their Winter

And yet we've no concrete evidence, that I've seen anyway, that this is climate driven

On first glance it looks like she nailed it down to the month, but maybe she just got lucky

mandrake04

ShineOn7 wrote: »

The woman who was the chief advisor on the film Contagion said that Australia wouldn't really be hit by this till July. If I remember right she said it was because this was their Winter

And yet we've no concrete evidence, that I've seen anyway, that this is climate driven

On first glance it looks like she nailed it down to the month, but maybe she just got lucky

Its more to do with Travel than winter, NZ is in winter too and they have only 24 active cases and those came from 2 infected travelers that were given exemptions.

The recent cases in Victoria stem from travelers, but Tasmania would be more wintery and colder than mainland and they have no cases in fact they haven't had one since the 15th of May... because they are an Island that implemented interstate quarantine.

You could live in winter all year long and not be affected by the virus but you let 1 infected retard in and it could get out of hand.