Is a COVID-19 pandemic about to be declared?

Tony Bev · Guru

Is a COVID-19 pandemic about to be declared?

DMaxer · Guru

With all the restrictions coming into place and the need for certain people to "self isolate", I wonder what the powers that be will make of us nomads tootling around in our vans.

I wonder if it might come to pass that if a city or area goes into lockdown, we might have to stay put wherever we may be.

I guess it is all speculation at the moment but it might be a bit daunting if that weekend or week stop down near the river turned into a rather lengthy one.

That scenario might give a few people something more to worry about than the dunny paper supply.

-- Edited by DMaxer on Sunday 15th of March 2020 03:26:32 PM

Whenarewethere · Guru

Lake Eyre, no one for miles!

Whenarewethere · Guru

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/201920_coronavirus_pandemic_by_country_and_territory

dorian · Guru

Coronavirus: Isolation for over-70s 'within weeks' (UK):

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-51895873

Every Briton over the age of 70 will be told "within the coming weeks" to stay at home for an extended period to protect themselves from coronavirus.

When it happens, they will be asked to stay home for "a very long time", Health Secretary Matt Han**** said.

The government is to release social distancing advice for elderly people on Monday - but they will not yet be asked to self-isolate for long periods.

Shielding the vulnerable and elderly will be an essential part of the government's strategy when cases are rising rapidly - it was one of the decisions signed off at an emergency Cobra meeting on Thursday.

Half of the overall cases are expected within a period of a few weeks, with 95% in a period of around 10 weeks.

So officials will ask those at most risk of developing severe illness to stay at home.

They believe if they get the timing right and people adhere to it the move could reduce the number of deaths by up to a third.

But it of course carries its own risks - mentally and physically.

They believe the longest they could ask people to do this for is around 12 weeks.

-- Edited by dorian on Monday 16th of March 2020 08:23:12 AM

dorian · Guru

Coronavirus panic buying sees supermarkets launch dedicated shopping hours for elderly and people with disabilities:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-16/coronavirus-australia-live-updates-covid-19-latest-news/12058472

-- Edited by dorian on Monday 16th of March 2020 08:22:48 AM

Whenarewethere · Guru

I heard this, good idea.

Dr Norman Swan had a few things to say including schools without soap!

Pat Turner is extremely worried about Aboriginal communities.

Long queues in America for guns, amo & body armour. They will probably have more deaths from bullets than the virus!

dorian · Guru

Is our health system already overwhelmed? Reading between the lines, I'm more concerned about the fact that a person who works in aged care had two bouts of influenza in one year. The question I would ask is, was he working in aged care when he contracted the flu, and did he get a flu shot prior to coming down with it?

What's the wait time to get a coronavirus test? For this couple it's five days:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-16/coronavirus-fear-for-couple-after-bali-trip-but-waits-on-test/12058908

A Wollongong couple say they've been "blown away" and "freaked out" by Australia's response to the coronavirus, after they returned from Bali last week with cold-like symptoms but are still waiting to be tested.

Andrew Whyte and Michelle Carmichael-Whyte returned last Thursday morning, then both woke on Friday with symptoms including fever, cough and a sore throat.

Mr Whyte said the doctor assessed them and deemed they needed to be tested, and advised there were two centres in Wollongong that were doing the tests.

"I started ringing those two locations, one of which no longer does it any more. The other is a drive-through, which I rang straight away and booked in," Mr Whyte said.

They say the earliest they've been able to book a test is Tuesday, and that despite alerting authorities they've had no way of informing others on their flight.

Mr Whyte said they had been advised results would take two to five days to come through, and he would not be able to return to his job in aged care until after he was cleared.

Mr Whyte said he had exhausted almost all of his sick leave after two bouts of the flu last year. "This is the concerning bit I think, my wife and I are doing the right thing," he said.

Whenarewethere · Guru

As you said ''reading between the lines', we have a broken system, & broken system on every level mostly due to self interest from personal to corporations to governments, pour regulations, preventing people clogging the medical system to start with which could be easily fixed with national dental care which in the long run would save bucket loads.

Telehealth now a has a Medicare code. We should have had it years ago. I wouldn't be surprised if the government dumps it after the Coronavirus!

I nothing else if we do not fix things from the Coronavirus we have learnt nothing.

Whenarewethere · Guru

dorian wrote:
Is our health system already overwhelmed? Reading between the lines, I'm more concerned about the fact that a person who works in aged care had two bouts of influenza in one year. The question I would ask is, was he working in aged care when he contracted the flu, and did he get a flu shot prior to coming down with it?

What's the wait time to get a coronavirus test? For this couple it's five days:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-16/coronavirus-fear-for-couple-after-bali-trip-but-waits-on-test/12058908
A Wollongong couple say they've been "blown away" and "freaked out" by Australia's response to the coronavirus, after they returned from Bali last week with cold-like symptoms but are still waiting to be tested.
Andrew Whyte and Michelle Carmichael-Whyte returned last Thursday morning, then both woke on Friday with symptoms including fever, cough and a sore throat.
Mr Whyte said the doctor assessed them and deemed they needed to be tested, and advised there were two centres in Wollongong that were doing the tests.
"I started ringing those two locations, one of which no longer does it any more. The other is a drive-through, which I rang straight away and booked in," Mr Whyte said.
They say the earliest they've been able to book a test is Tuesday, and that despite alerting authorities they've had no way of informing others on their flight.
Mr Whyte said they had been advised results would take two to five days to come through, and he would not be able to return to his job in aged care until after he was cleared.
Mr Whyte said he had exhausted almost all of his sick leave after two bouts of the flu last year. "This is the concerning bit I think, my wife and I are doing the right thing," he said.

What hope is there when people are doing the right thing or even more than the right thing & nobody wants to know!

Whenarewethere · Guru

It's a long read but worth it.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30566-3/fulltext

Whenarewethere · Guru

Economists say the Reserve Bank of Australia calling an emergency meeting to cut interest rates is "inevitable" as the spread of the coronavirus continues to cripple the economy.

https://amp.news.com.au/finance/business/rba-calling-an-emergency-meeting-to-slash-rates-to-025-per-cent-inevitable/news-story/4216d33440b5a122cfe4333b0ad7601d

The central bank isn't scheduled to meet until the first Tuesday of April, but this is widely expected to be brought forward as early as this week to slash the official cash rate to a fresh, historic low of 0.25 per cent.

Whenarewethere · Guru

The Liberal party keeping 1.5 metres apart to avoid Coronavirus!

Whenarewethere · Guru

The Flying Dutchman (Dutch: De Vliegende Hollander) is a legendary ghost ship that can never make port and is doomed to sail the oceans forever.

About 90,000 stuck on ships due to Coronavirus.

dorian · Guru

I'd rather be in NZ during this time. The Aussie authorities, including the chief medical officer, are idiots.

I'd prefer that my "economic stimulus package" were redirected to setting up testing stations and purchasing medical equipment. I don't know how much economic stimulation I'm going to be doing while sitting at home.

[4000] Australian doctors issue urgent plea for governments to ramp up coronavirus response:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-17/australia-doctors-coronavirus-letter-pleading-government-action/12062368

Doctors warn against Italy-level disaster

Italian doctors are reporting they do not have the necessary ventilators and other resources needed to save critically ill COVID-19 patients, and they have been forced to make the wrenching choice between patients who can be helped and those who will be refused the treatment necessary to save their lives.

Whenarewethere · Guru

Scotty from marketing emergency Coronavirus meeting:

Lockdown = Our party will be voted out next election!

Mitigation = No voters left at next election!

dorian · Guru

It looks like the curves for Italy, Spain, Norway and the UK have started to flatten.

https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200316-sitrep-56-covid-19.pdf (16 March 2020)
https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200317-sitrep-57-covid-19.pdf (17 March 2020)

Edit: The numbers are going the other way today. Lies, damn lies, and statistics ...

-- Edited by dorian on Thursday 19th of March 2020 09:41:20 AM

Whenarewethere · Guru

Aldi 2 items per customer.

Tony Bev · Guru

Just come across from SA to WA

Stopped at Norseman (for some fruit and veggies), IGA also has signs up, some items one per person, some items two per person

IGA at Donnybrook, also had the same signs

From memory, they mentioned to consider others

dorian · Guru

At last, some intelligent governance. It is proposed that a vaccine be manufactured while it is still in the testing phase, so that it can be deployed immediately after being approved.

Coronavirus vaccine funding announcement as number of Queensland COVID-19 cases rise:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-22/coronavirus-vaccine-funding-university-queensland-cases/12079184

The Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced a $17 million package to fast-track a coronavirus vaccine developed in the state.

She said the funding would support the University of Queensland (UQ) as the only Australian organisation and one of six worldwide to be tasked to develop a vaccine against COVID-19 by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.

The money would allow researchers to bring a large-scale manufacture of the coronavirus vaccine forward to run parallel with clinical trials.

"We're not cutting any corners in ensuring this vaccine is going to be safe and efficacious in humans, we will go through those clinical studies, but we should be ready to deploy as soon as that is done."

"With this approach we should carve about six months off our timeline."

dorian · Guru

Some good news for us old folks . . .

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-52044452

A 97-year-old woman has become the oldest person in South Korea to recover from the virus, according to Yonhap News.

No other details about her are available yet - but she's not the only elderly person to have beaten the virus.

Earlier in March, Chinese state media outlet Xinhua reported that a 100-year-old man in China had also recovered from the virus. The news outlet says he is the oldest recovered patient to date.

-- Edited by dorian on Thursday 26th of March 2020 04:10:51 PM