“Flatten the curve” is the mantra being recited around the world, urging everyone to help slow the spread of the coronavirus so healthcare systems can cope.
Australia has had the benefit of learning from nations already affected. We know the virus responds extremely well to public health measures like social distancing and quarantining.
But we’ve yet to take drastic steps. Schools are still open, there’s no ban on mass events and no forced social distancing. Crikey takes a look at responses around the world and asks, what more should we do?
Stay away from me
New York this morning banned mass gatherings and ordered schools in several counties to close. Israel has closed schools and universities. Italy is in lockdown, with residents only permitted to leave their home under strict circumstances. China placed tens of millions into forced quarantine (though not without human rights concerns).
The president of the Australian Medical Association’s WA branch has warned Italy’s lockdown could be an example of what’s to come in Australia.
Professor Robert Booy, Head of Clinical Research at the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, tells Crikey that closures should be implemented immediately.
“We need to do more — this is a serious pandemic,” Booy said. “So many countries around the world are already closing schools and other institutions — this should be happening in Australia. The degree of social distancing should be increased.”
It’s an opinion echoed by Labor leaders who have called for “draconian” measures. Labor’s Bill Shorten has called for “drastic social distancing measures” — including closing schools and cancelling mass events.
Shorten is a step behind Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews who called for the closure of all schools earlier this week.
Should we force people into quarantine?
Given how woefully some journalists seem to understand the concept of social distancing and self-isolation, should Australia resort to forced quarantine?
Legally, we could. Under the Biosecurity Act 2015, those exhibiting symptoms could be detained and forced to undergo treatment or decontamination if they defied health directions.
But it’s an unnecessarily heavy-handed tactic, Booy says. “Some people will disobey orders because they need to keep their job, or have mild symptoms,” he said but added most people would do the right thing.
“Simply telling people to self-isolate is very effective.”
Where are our McTesting clinics?
China announced yesterday they have passed the “peak of the epidemic” after taking drastic measures to control the virus. The government made sure tests and treatment were free, establishing special fever clinics where people could take CT scans. These scans were revolutionary, finding “ground glass” patterns on the lungs in those infected. Each machine was capable of running over 200 tests a day.
South Korea pioneered drive-through testing clinics which screened more than 200,000 people in a matter of weeks. The country also recently announced they have “passed the peak” of the outbreak.
Australia was quick to develop an effective test. Adelaide was the first to launch a drive-through testing clinic, though it is still in its pilot stages.
Despite our quick and free tests, Australia has had issues with administering them. Doctors have complained about mixed messaging around who to test, with metropolitan hospitals facing long queues of people waiting to get swabbed (which, yes, is as counter-intuitive as it seems).
Booy believes our testing is adequate, pointing to the special clinics for potential coronavirus patients and special funding to allow medicare rebates for telehealth appointments.
“We cannot bypass the epidemic. It’s highly transmissible and will cause severe disease in a minority of vulnerable people,” Booy said.
So stay away from others, get tested self-isolate.
Don’t know about the rest of the country, but in NSW there doesn’t seem to be “quick and free” tests available. Testing is limited to those who have returned from a designated country in the last 14 days or can prove they have been in close contact with someone who has been diagnosed. I begged and pleaded yesterday for my severely disabled daughter and myself to be tested yesterday – told “no” very emphatically by the GP and NSW Health, and discouraged by the local hospital (who sensibly said that if you don’t have it now, you probably will after standing in the queue for 30 minutes…). I’m not worried about our health, I’m worried about infecting other people who would be very vulnerable. This limited testing protocol seems to me to be about 5 days behind events.
There’s plenty of calls to close schools, and various public / sporting / entertainment events. But nothing is said about religious events and services, even though they have been horribly effective at spreading the virus in some places. This virus is much more deadly to older people. So far it seems to be barely affect children. So why close schools when religious congregations, often heavily skewed to the elderly, carry on as normal? Is it (a) we trust their god(s) to protect their own; (b) we want them to catch the visus; or (c) our gutless pollies dare not cross religious leaders?
You close schools because kids are fantastic little disease vectors.
ok, the wee snot-monsters should stay home. I’m still not seeing the advantage in packing the elderly into religious services.
Oh, absolutely agreed there. But the cut-off being recommended so far is 500 people, and aside from the megachurches I’m not sure a lot of ’em get that many attendees so even without an exemption…
Don’t close schools without good reason The kids need somewhere to go. Do you want grandma to look after them? Only if you don’t like your mother-in-law. Do you want a whole bunch of kids mixing with each other (and the rest of us!) all across the cities because they aren’t in school? The UK has run scenarios and kids out of schools is very bad.
Here in Oz ,some religious “Leaders” have told the flock to continue to congregate for Communion as the virus can’t enter the Church or it’s inhabitants thanks to the Sky Fairies mystical magical powers.
Seems that Sooty missed the footy last night, I wonder if he made it to mass today ?
Australia seems to be going very softly softly on testing. Where other countries seem to be testing whole regions, we only seem to want to test people with symptoms who have been in direct contact with a carrier. How would most people know. We only know about Hanks because he’s a high profile case. Have they tested the thousands of people the film crew has been in contact with, are they moving all over the Gold Coast right now? I haven’t noticed a single case where a journalist got a straight answer when asking how many tests Australia has stockpiled. I haven’t heard of any general testing stations in NSW or QLD, drive through or otherwise. The media in the US is livid at Trump’s inaction and lies, I don’t see a similar response here to Morrison’s endlessly repeated platitudes and obfuscation.
The Mantras of the Neo-Cons seem to be:
1. Don’t do anything so you can’t be blamed
2. Protect your rich mates
3. There is a silver lining in CoVid-19; the more the elderly are killed off the nearer to a budget surplus we get. Additionally untreated hypertensive patients, (the poor), are vulnerable which will reduce dole payments.
4. Unlike the collapse in iron ore prices, that destroyed the ALP budget surplus, CoVid-19 is not our fault.
Time for a ‘Covid-19 (War) Cabinet. No politics, just the PM, Finance Min, Health Min, Leaders of all main parties (Lab, Grn, Nats) and premiers / first Min of each state and territory. Advised by Chief Medical officers of Fed and states. Get on with decisions and cut the politics right out. If not now, when?
Richard…that may be happening sooner than you think.
Just heard on ABC RN that Potato Head (Dutton) has been diagnosed with Covid-19…couldn’t happen to a nicer bloke!!!!!
They are about to do the ‘tracing’ thingy…just think of all those he may have been in close contact with? Could wipe out this putrid government for long enough to get rid of them all.
Hooray!!!!!
Yeah, the tracing thingy, LOL. Where’s the mass testing that should be happening! Just heard on the Drum about a cruise ship docking in Broome, no warning, no testing. No doubt the passengers are all over the town, and another arriving next week.
Seeing baked-bean-head is confirmed to have it, why aren’t the rest of the Cabinet being tested as per the rules for the peasants.
Is this some sort of Bob Menzies scheme whereby all cabinet ministers, by reason of their office, become the Australian Royal Family and are exempt from all testing, as was Princess Anne excused from the gender test at the 1976 Montreal Olympics?
Personally I hope the lot of them have it so they can experience genuine stress instead of being mollycoddled by sycophants.