COVID-19 has finally been pushed off the front page around the world, after the killing of George Floyd triggered mass protests and violent police retaliation across America.
But the virus is still out there, and there are now fears the protests could lead to a second wave. On the home front, numbers outline how bleak the last month has been for the media.
Protests bring fear of second wave
America is burning, after protests against police brutality have been met with more police brutality.
The situation escalated over the weekend with businesses burning, riots and rubber bullets, tear gas and tasers. That kind of disorder is exactly what you don’t need to fight a pandemic.
As part of their pitch for calm, mayors across the country have warned that the protests could unleash a second wave, and urged demonstrators to get tested. It’s practically impossible to socially distance in a chaotic angry crowd, or when there’s a police boot on your face.
Just like police violence, the virus has disproportionately kills black people in America.
Media ad spend plummets
The last month has been brutal for the Australian media — employees at BuzzFeed News, Ten Daily, News Corp regional papers and Vice are among the many now out of jobs.
And new data gives us some understanding of how this has happened, with data from Standard Media Index (SMI) highlighting a monumental decline in media ad buys.
In April, media agency ad expenditure fell 35.4%, as the pandemic and shutdown snuffed out economic activity, a decline that is far deeper and more abrupt than during the global financial crisis.
Big ad buyers like those in the travel industry turned off the cash overnight, with a $20.2 million cut in spending. And the SMI also warns the numbers could look similarly bad for May, thanks to the loss of NRL and AFL, which generally attract big ad spend on television.
The mystery COVID death that wasn’t
Last week, we told you about the mystery of Australia’s youngest COVID-19 death. Nathan Turner, 30, supposedly died of the virus, despite not leaving his small central Queensland mining town in months. It turns out Turner didn’t have COVID-19 — later tests turned up negative.
The Queensland government and Health Department have come under fire over the misdiagnosis. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has apologised to Turner’s family, and Health Minister Steven Miles this morning defended the government’s actions in a media conference.
“I would prefer to be criticised for being too transparent, too honest and for acting too quickly rather than the alternative,” he said.
Turner had suffered respiratory problems for some time, but the cause of his death is now undetermined.
“The Queensland government and Health Department have come under fire over the misdiagnosis.” – saying “under fire” implies that it was someone other than Feckless Deb “Just let me touch all your groceries” Frecklington and her daily newsletter “The Courier Mail”. Everyone else understands how medicine works.
sigh, “…the virus has disproportionately kills ..“.
Failing a sub editor, could someone at least read this stuff before hitting SEND?
Again, the media are so busy jumping on anything that the Queensland Government can be tarred with as “Got it wrong and Bad, followed predictably with Open the Borders”!!!
Anyone who really doesn’t like the way Queensland is managing this infection is perfectly free to LEAVE.
No one knows for sure whether the poor deceased man from Blackwater, Nathan Turner actually had Covid19 or not, because his first test was positive and the second swab had too much blood in it to be diagnostic and he had died before another round of testing could be organized.
All of Nathan’s friends and family and an enormous number of the population of Blackwater came forward and were tested for Covid19 and proved negative.
On post mortum he did not have the classic atypical pneumonia and so the Government from the Premier down has apologized to his family and loved ones. The rest of we workers in the health industry crossed our fingers it was a false positive.
Tonight we have had announced a fruit picker flew to Brisbane, caught up with 15 of his family and friends and then flew on to Bundaberg and worked one shift before falling ill. All I can say is that I hope this poor hapless worker gets the care they need from Bundaberg Hospital and that they were not a super spreader.
One case will generate somewhere between 9 and 12 contacts per plane times 2= 24, plus cabin crew times 2, plus the 15 friends and family plus their friends. all for one case, who was negative just before leaving Melbourne.
Where is the Pauline Hanson nasal whinge now??
Where’s Deb Frecklington and her complaints that we aren’t opening our borders quickly enough?
Do Deb and Pauline understand that their demands could easily result in the Health System public and private being closed down again except Category 1 patients?
There are hundreds of doctors and thousands and thousands of patients who will not be happy to have their semi-urgent pre-booked surgery cancelled, again, while they are hoping that their condition doesn’t become a medical emergency.
No Queenslander would selfishly put their wants before their commitment to our common good.
Does anyone want us to not keep beds free in case this monster is allowed to run riot here, all because these two (Deb and Pauline) wanted our tourism industry to get back to work!
The science and a couple of weeks will make the difference.
Go to the High Court on this, I dare you!
Challenge the state of Queensland’s right to control its borders.
Well that was a no news read. Thanks.