Victoria’s contact tracing has reportedly not been up to scratch. NSW is on alert for a rise in cases from Victoria. A US case spike has been connected to a Trump rally. And the World Health Organization director-general breaks down in tears.
Victoria’s contact tracing fail
The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) has found Victorian health officials did not adhere to national guidelines for COVID-19 contact tracing. Officials reportedly neglected to make daily follow up calls to close contacts of COVID-19 cases to check for flu-like symptoms.
Meanwhile in Victoria, eight of the nine public housing towers placed into hard lockdown in Melbourne have had restrictions eased, with residents who have returned a negative COVID-19 test, and who haven’t been in close contact with someone who has been infected, now allowed to leave the building for grocery shopping, exercise, work or education and medical care or caregiving.
One block in North Melbourne remains in lockdown for another nine days after recording 55 positive cases. Residents will be allowed to leave for medical care and supervised daily exercise.
The Melbourne surge in cases means intensive care units could soon be at capacity, with 81% of the nation’s 2076 staffed units full. Elective surgeries are expected to be cancelled to free up beds.
Yesterday Victoria reported 165 new cases of COVID-19.
This morning the Victorian government announced a $534 million support package for businesses affected by the latest shut down.
Queensland’s borders will reopen to everywhere but Victoria today.
WHO chief’s tears
World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has broken down in tears during a speech in Geneva, Switzerland, criticising the “lack of leadership and solidarity” during the crisis.
He urged world leaders to open up to scrutiny and unite to fight the coronavirus.
An international investigation into the pandemic, headed by former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark will deliver a verdict in May 2021.
NSW waiting for bad news
It will be weeks before we know if the Victorian coronavirus outbreak has made it to NSW, Premier Gladys Berejiklian has said.
On Wednesday, police were called to a pub in the Sydney suburb of Double Bay to disperse crowds and a queue of hundreds waiting to get in.
A 63-year-old returned traveller broke out of hotel quarantine in Sydney halfway through her stay and tried to board an international flight, telling security she had an exemption to leave to work as a flight attendant. Australian Border Force caught the Queensland woman at the airport, issued her with a $1000 fine and returned her to quarantine.
Trump rally surge
A surge in coronavirus cases in Tulsa, Oklahoma has been linked to a rally held by US President Donald Trump last month. Officials confirmed 206 new cases in the city on Tuesday and a record high for the county of 261 on Monday. Tulsa Health Department director Dr Bruce Dart told The New York Times: “The past two days we’ve had almost 500 cases, and we know we had several large events a little over two weeks ago, which is about right. So I guess we just connect the dots.”
Storm brewing in Africa
New COVID-19 cases in Africa are up 24% over the past week. The continent had appeared to have avoided the worst of the pandemic until now, with concerns hospitals will be overwhelmed. Limited testing, and states’ reluctance to share information, has experts worried there are many cases unrecorded.
South Africa has recorded more than 238,000 cases, while Nigeria has more than 30,000.
It’s estimated that nearly 50 million Africans could be driven into extreme poverty following the economic fallout of the crisis.
I assume Crikey has plenty more writers to join the pile on that is happening to Andrews.
“An international investigation into the pandemic, headed by former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark will deliver a verdict in May 2021.”
Something tells me I already know what this verdict may be. Something akin to the tears of Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus…if the uncomfortable truth finds the light of day.
Informative ensemble, thankyou.
“It’s estimated that nearly 50 million Africans could be driven into extreme poverty following the economic fallout of the crisis.”
I have learned from my many years of experience that nothing ever happens by chance. There is a “person” involved with the creation and marketing of vaccines who is on record saying that we need to establish an optimum population level. Surely that does not auger well for bl-ck Africans and possibly bl-ck people anywhere on the planet. I’ll leave it there.
I enjoy reading your stuff. Keep at it.
Wonder why that woman was fined only $1000, but border offences are being threatened $11000 fines?
I wonder if her situation connects in any way to findings on Covid’s affects on the brain, including the early loss sense of smell and taste which were not based in the olfactory bulb, but in the brain above the nose. There are also related cases of delirium and confusion also believed to be centred in affects on the brain.
Covered in this MSNBC video interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42qGSrtkqxU
Kevin_T – this is just more media hype rubbish.
For a start, degrees of “delirium and confusion” is consistent at times with anyone in their eighties or nineties. This also includes temporary loss of smell and taste. But if you want to tick the Covid box, go right ahead and be like the industrial medical and health complex. Keep racking up those stats for the glorious grand finaleeee!
So, for clarification, is it fake doctors or fake autopsies?
Both can be fake – but the question is ambiguous. It’s the protocols of method, interpretation and execution that are unambiguous
For a different take on the c19 swab testing.
operationdisclosure1.bl-gspot.com/2020/07/reader-gk-important-share-from-jim.html
If the link does n’t work. It’s a Jim Stone blog.
OK, it’s Friday so today’s edition is a wodge of stuff spiked during the week as inadequate for (even Creeky’s) bathetic barrel.
Rants, listicles and 20/20 hindsight do not a newzine make.
And that’s just the first 3 pieces – not looking forward to the remainder.