Coronavirus 4 - Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

[stui magpie]

NSW re-opens tomorrow. No more LGA restrictions, just vaccinated v non vaccinated and some uniform rules across the board.

https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/easing- ... 70-percent

They've got 90% of over 16's had at least 1 shot, over 70% fully vaccinated and due to hit 80% tomorrow week.

Perrottet has warned people that case numbers will inevitably go up, but we all want to hope like hell it doesn't turn to shit because if it does, Dan and the other Premiers will use it as the excuse to hold restrictions for longer.

Good news on the vaccination front, little medical centre down the road from me is doing a mass vaccination today. I walked past on the way home from my walk, they had chairs out the front under cover, roped off queueing system, taped arrows on the ground with signs and a separate area cordoned off out back for the 15 minute wait. Drove past about 11 and the joint was full. Between State Government run hubs, GP's and Pharmacies Vic has been doing over 90,000 vaccinations per day for the past 5 days and looks like around 60% of those are second doses

[Pies4shaw]

hope like hell it doesn't turn to shit because if it does ...

... sane people might actually doubt the sense of the decision.

[stui magpie]

Certainly there will be those who do that and, with 20 20 hindsight say "I told you so".

If it works, the same people will day he was just lucky

[Woods Of Ypres]

once re-open happens, what is the rule around wearing masks. surely we can't be expected to wear masks for the rest of our lives

[Pies4shaw]

^ I expect that, for a while, yet (but not permanently), there will be a requirement that we wear masks in particularly risky settings. What those settings might be at any time will depend upon the general prevalence of the virus in the community, the extent of transmission at that time and the degree to which infected cases are becoming serious illnesses or deaths.

Certainly there will be those who do that and, with 20 20 hindsight say "I told you so".

If it works, the same people will day he was just lucky

So, here's the thing - assuming, for the sake of argument, that the new NSW Premier is not a blithering dill, he will know that the inevitable consequence of opening up is that the number of people infected is very likely to increase both rapidly and exponentially. We know that because there are plenty of other places in the world with reasonably sophisticated healthcare systems that have experienced that very thing. It won't be a question of saying anything with 20/20 hindsight - if NSW has the very large numbers of cases that are so likely as to be virtually certain, significant numbers of people will die and many, many more will be hospitalised. That's what the data say. My view is simple - he's going to do it, so let's hope it works much, much better than the numbers elsewhere say it will - because the more likely outcomes are too awful to contemplate.

[think positive]

Scary shit alright, and Dan may come out smelling like roses!

Just think a little Chinese honesty a couple of years back and this could have been somewhat contained.

[Pies4shaw]

In NSW today:

8 deaths
498 new total cases
2 new overseas acquired cases
769 people in hospital
153 people in ICU

[Pies4shaw]

and in Victoria:

Reported yesterday: 1,612 new local cases and 0 cases acquired overseas.
- 34,279 vaccines administered
- 73,138 test results received
- Sadly, 8 people with COVID-19 have died

[David]

Apologies if this has already been posted, but I thought this (apparently controversial) article from Greens candidate Celeste Liddle in The Age a couple of weeks ago made a lot of sense.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/vict ... 58vnr.html

I fail to understand why, for example, the curfew was reintroduced this year. Curfew was roundly criticised and then removed a few weeks ahead of schedule last year because not only did it have no identifiable health benefits, but it turned out that neither the Chief Health Officer (CHO) nor the Police Commissioner had requested it.

Why now, a year down the track, is the CHO supporting this measure?

COVID-19 does not miraculously become hyper-infectious at 9pm. Indeed, all a curfew does is penalise shift workers and increase community policing. Lower-paid workers such as those who work in supermarkets have had valuable late shifts cut and for what purpose? More potentially infectious people simply crowd supermarkets in the reduced hours they are open.

[…]

People are frustrated, disenfranchised, are looking for answers in all the wrong places, and then, when shot with projectiles by police, believe their anger at the government is all the more righteous.

Curfews and policed “outdoor time” won’t fix this unrest. We need compassionate, community-geared solutions which make people feel empowered and informed. People need simple medical facts rather than threats regarding mandatory vaccination.

[think positive]

"shot with projectiles by police"!!!!! need to add "while breaking WHO orders by hanging out in more than groups of 2, and breaking social distancing rules, and ignoring police who were saying all day long YOU ARE FREE TO LEAVE!"

after 9 the dickhead factor gets worse, thats why!

in saying that since day light saving is here another hour would be nice!

[David]

Yes, I was thinking that too (re: daylight saving)!

[eddiesmith]

Apologies if this has already been posted, but I though this (apparently controversial) article from Greens candidate Celeste Liddle in The Age a couple of weeks ago made a lot of sense.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/vict ... 58vnr.html

I fail to understand why, for example, the curfew was reintroduced this year. Curfew was roundly criticised and then removed a few weeks ahead of schedule last year because not only did it have no identifiable health benefits, but it turned out that neither the Chief Health Officer (CHO) nor the Police Commissioner had requested it.

Why now, a year down the track, is the CHO supporting this measure?

COVID-19 does not miraculously become hyper-infectious at 9pm. Indeed, all a curfew does is penalise shift workers and increase community policing. Lower-paid workers such as those who work in supermarkets have had valuable late shifts cut and for what purpose? More potentially infectious people simply crowd supermarkets in the reduced hours they are open.

[…]

People are frustrated, disenfranchised, are looking for answers in all the wrong places, and then, when shot with projectiles by police, believe their anger at the government is all the more righteous.

Curfews and policed “outdoor time” won’t fix this unrest. We need compassionate, community-geared solutions which make people feel empowered and informed. People need simple medical facts rather than threats regarding mandatory vaccination.

Wow something sensible from a Greens candidate, that’s a first!!!

[eddiesmith]

"shot with projectiles by police"!!!!! need to add "while breaking WHO orders by hanging out in more than groups of 2, and breaking social distancing rules, and ignoring police who were saying all day long YOU ARE FREE TO LEAVE!"

after 9 the dickhead factor gets worse, thats why!

in saying that since day light saving is here another hour would be nice!

It’s a concern if breaking stupid rules is enough to get shot by police…

Imagine if they tried those same tactics on the government endorsed BLM protests last year which was also against the CHOs orders…

[stui magpie]

[Pies4shaw]

^ Adjusted for population, that's probably about like having, say, 250 to 300 new deaths and 100,000 new cases each week in Australia.

From The Age's blog:

[Victorian] Health Minister Martin Foley said there are 677 people in hospital with COVID-19 in Victoria. Of those, 133 are in intensive care and 94 are on a ventilator.