Thread: Corona Virus

And to put the icing on the cake;

WHO says coronavirus pandemic is not necessarily 'the big one' (msn.com)


EDIT 5 exposure sites in Melbourne,

More Victorian COVID cases expected to emerge in Melbourne linked to Sydney outbreak (msn.com)

Australia's Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly has revealed he would not take his elderly relatives to the New Year's cricket Test in Sydney even though he is happy to see the game go ahead.

Norman Swan has the right idea. Why aren't they doing it?

"The ABC's Norman Swan, host of RN's Health Report, argued the State Government needed to go even further.
"The precautionary principle is act fast, act early and beg for forgiveness later because there are no prizes for being late to this party," Dr Swan said.
"It's five days after Christmas, one incubation period after Christmas, so you'd expect a spike about now.
"That's a springboard for New Year's Eve as well."
"So the precautionary principle would be locking down Greater Sydney and really holding that for about two weeks.""



Decision to hold third Test at Sydney Cricket Ground sparks controversy as COVID cases rise - ABC News

Originally Posted by V8Ian

Does anyone know if the currently developed vaccines are all effective against the various strains?

This may help.

Do mutations mean a Covid-19 vaccine won’t work anymore?

With new mutations, there is a concern that a new strain of SARS-CoV-2 could arise that would be different enough from previous versions such that prior exposures — whether through a vaccine or an infection — won’t offer protection. So, yes, it’s possible that the coronavirus could someday mutate in a way that would elude a vaccine or previous immunity.
Right now, though, scientists think this UK variant would still fall under the same umbrella of protection as earlier strains. If someone received a Covid-19 vaccine for an older generation of the virus, they would likely have protection against this one.


This is interesting.

The UK coronavirus mutation has been found in the US (msn.com)

Epidemiologists warned of national spread via NSW. It’s happening





Sydneysiders are being encouraged to get tested as unknown cluster appear. Photo: AAP

The latest people to test positive for coronavirus in New South Wales are believed to have been together at a Christmas party, but authorities are desperately trying to determine how the unlinked cluster broke out.
An increase of 18 cases and the emergence of a new ‘Croydon cluster’ on Wednesday have again put the spotlight on whether NSW went hard enough when the first case was detected.
Health authorities are warning that all Australians need to stay vigilant in coming days as the virus may have spread to other parts of the country.
Already there are signs it has.
On Wednesday night, a spokesman for the Victorian government confirmed authorities believed three new cases in their state were linked to the Sydney cluster.

What we know about the Victorian cases so far

The infection of the three women, two aged in their 40s and one in her 70s, brought to an end the state’s 61-day streak of no COVID-19 cases.
The women, from Mitcham, Hallam and Mentone, are isolating at home – as are their close contacts – and have provided details of the sites they had visited in recent days.
High-risk sites:

• Mentone/Parkdale Beach on 27 December
• Century City Walk and Mocha Jo’s, Glen Waverley on 28 December
• Katialo restaurant, Eaton Mall, Oakleigh on 28 December.

Other possible exposure sites, and times, include:

• Fountain Gate Shopping Centre shops including Kmart, Big W, Target, Millers, King of Gifts, Lacoste on 26 December
• Holy Family Parish Doveton Catholic on 26 December
• Check the Department of Health and Human Services website for a full list, including possible times of infection.

Victoria’s Commander of COVID-19 response Jeroen Weimar said his state was deploying its “full outbreak approach” to track the cases and contain the spread.
“We are so thankful that these people did the right thing and got tested. We always knew this virus had us in a precarious position and we need to make sure we do everything we can to stamp out any further transmissions,” Mr Weimar said.
“Now more than ever people should not let down their guard. Maintain physical distancing, practise good hand hygiene. Stay at home if you’re unwell and, most of all, get tested if you have any symptoms at all.”
Victoria is expected to release further details about the cases, and possible sites of transmission, on Thursday.
What we know about the new NSW cluster

NSW chief medical officer Kerry Chant said the family, all living in the suburb of Croydon, gathered several times over the Christmas period – when authorities suspect the virus was transmitted.
“As you understand, close families often get together at this time of year with multiple other members of families on multiple days,” Dr Chant said.
She said 34 close contacts of the family members had been identified and authorities were bracing for an increase of connected cases.
On Wednesday NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced changes to NYE restrictions. Photo: AAPConcerns NSW did not go hard enough

Deakin University chair of epidemiology Catherine Bennett said she did not want to be “inflammatory” but the number of unknown cases, including the Croydon cluster and two in Wollongong, had become “alarming”.
“That’s telling you they haven’t got the complete handle on it,” Professor Bennett told The New Daily.



Experts warned of national spread via NSW. Victoria shows it’s happening (thenewdaily.com.au)

Originally Posted by Saitch

I was going to ask, 'Are people really that stupid?' and then realised that that would be stupid.

I reckon it was because they had parents that allowed them to do as they liked & no Discipline, whereas we older wiser folk did as we were told & now are getting the benefits.

Jeezuz! Cop a shufti at the above photo, most appear to be wearing masks but up each other's arses.


The answer to your question is YES.

Originally Posted by Eevo

from news.com.au
It tested 34,000 people within Wuhan, the surrounding Hubei province and a number of other cities outside the area, to see if they had antibodies to COVID-19 – a sign that they would have contracted the virus.
“The investigation found that the positive rate of new coronavirus antibodies in the community population in Wuhan was 4.43 per cent,” the report stated.
They would suggest almost 500,000 people in Wuhan contracted COVID-19, 10 times more than the 50,000 officially recorded

What is a 0 between friends anyway? Just a slip of the keyboard. Yeah right!

Originally Posted by JDNSW

70% won't cut it for this virus - like measles it needs a higher percentage because it is so infectious, probably 80-90%. Measles needs close to 95%, it all depends on the effective R0.

If the new version running rampant in the UK is more contagious than the original version, then the % needed may be at the top end of the range you suggest.

Originally Posted by vnx205

If the new version running rampant in the UK is more contagious than the original version, then the % needed may be at the top end of the range you suggest.

I'm not sure the new variety is necessarily more infectious. It may be,but it becoming the widespread variant could be simply chance - it was involved in a "superspreader event" - but even if it is more infectious, the difference could be slight. Looking at pictures of the crowds in the UK, I don't think you need to invoke a higher infectivity to explain the boom in cases. The way people are behaving, it was inevitable!