Coronavirus.

[dogluva]

I have not been tested despite work extending the offer.

There are a few different test modalities, @ASSASSIN ...
Turn around time (TAT) should be no more than 24 hours (for the majority of samples) from the time the swab reaches lab.
Actual testing time could be from minutes for the antibody assay (result indicates whether you have been infected, not whether you have the virus) to 3-6 hours for the viral genome workflow. Delays are likely due to inconclusive results were clinic requests a re-test rather than releasing false-positive or false-negative.

I believe there are also diagnostics implementing CRISPR tools which are likely much more rapid (a quick search reveals yes - https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01402-9).

Very much doubt anyone would receive monetary incentives to test, your GP is probably mindful of medical malpractice more than anything - pushing anyone with sniffles to get tested.

Thanks for that Lov_Dog. Touch wood..things are good with us at the moment but it helps if the kids practice good hygiene and are happy to avoid crowds.

Good to read the medical side of it and from the beginning maybe it would have been good if things were explained properly rather than, oh we should have results in 24 hours when some were taking a lot longer and backlogs of tests we holding things up as well.

 

[Dawgfather]

This highlights one of the main problems I've seen during the Covid-19 pandemic. There's two sides and each side claim superiority based on hind sight.

This happened with the WHO and many country leaders saying not to wear masks. At the time that was the advice based on the scientific evidence. When the advice turned out to be wrong, they changed their stance. Immediately everyone jumped on the, "I was right but you didn't listen to me"

Same thing happening here. The evidence said that kids barely spread it. Now there is some evidence that kids may be stronger spreaders and people are going to jump on the "I was right all along" stance.

But in each case it's just a guess becoming correct. That doesn't mean anyone was right from the start. Just that they had a belief that was eventually supported by the scientific method. Regardless if a guess turns out to be right, until it's confirmed, it's still a guess and we don't base policy on guesses.

I'd argue it's not a guess. The stats on number of children who have died are already out and they clearly show that kids generally do not die from Covid-19.

 

[Hacky McAxe]

The problem here hacky is that more leverage is being given to keeping the economy running than protecting peoples lives.

Rather than the play it safe model our government (and their cheerleaders) are coming up with unsubstantiated garbage and following that and rightfully they should receive criticism when they've displayed that their agenda is to open up the country asap rather than protecting peoples lives.

I agree. But Dawg has a point on the child transmission thing. That's from actual peer reviewed research. More recent research is saying that children may have a higher transmission but that's yet to be peer reviewed.

The other factor that many don't consider is that economic downturn leads to deaths as well. So there needs to be some consideration in that respect.

But it's a balancing thing. Economic downturn will lead to deaths but less deaths than Covid-19. A complete global economic crash on the other hand could lead to more deaths than covid-19. So there needs to be some balance and caution on both sides.

 

[Hacky McAxe]

I'd argue it's not a guess. The stats on number of children who have died are already out and they clearly show that kids generally do not die from Covid-19.

Yep. But it's more about transmission. The research that says that children have low transmission is fairly recent. Many were calling for children to go back to school long before that research came out, then bragging about being right when the research came out.

 

[CaptainJackson]

I agree. But Dawg has a point on the child transmission thing. That's from actual peer reviewed research. More recent research is saying that children may have a higher transmission but that's yet to be peer reviewed.

The other factor that many don't consider is that economic downturn leads to deaths as well. So there needs to be some consideration in that respect.

But it's a balancing thing. Economic downturn will lead to deaths but less deaths than Covid-19. A complete global economic crash on the other hand could lead to more deaths than covid-19. So there needs to be some balance and caution on both sides.

We're an island, lock the borders immediatelt when it first happened

They fucked the response

And obviously the full impact of children is not known. I find it interesting that testing on children is not conducted at the same rates as adults simply because kids don't show symptoms (even if they're in a household with the infection they arent being tested).

 

[Dawgfather]

Yep. But it's more about transmission. The research that says that children have low transmission is fairly recent. Many were calling for children to go back to school long before that research came out, then bragging about being right when the research came out.

The only reason I have called for kids to go back to school is because it's my personal belief that you can't stop people from living life simply due to a virus which 90 something percent of people will be largely unaffected by.

No one who supports school bans can give me an answer as to when kids should be able to return to school - which to me looks like they don't have a workable solution, they're just saying things without thinking.

 

[south of heaven]

Queensland will tighten its borders from midday on Tuesday to residents of two Sydney suburbs after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk declared them coronavirus hot spots.
Didn't we do this with Victoria before an outbreak

 

[Utility]

The only reason I have called for kids to go back to school is because it's my personal belief that you can't stop people from living life simply due to a virus which 90 something percent of people will be largely unaffected by.

No one who supports school bans can give me an answer as to when kids should be able to return to school - which to me looks like they don't have a workable solution, they're just saying things without thinking.

How can anyone present a workable solution for something as unknown and unquantifiable as a pandemic? I can think of plenty of good questions the business as usual brigade haven't provided workable answers for....

- How do you ensure all children obey social distancing guidelines and preventative hygiene measures in the school environment? Kids are not exactly known for practicing good hygiene and the science on just how transmissible the disease is between children and from children to family members/ teachers etc is far from settled.

- How do you ensure people practice proper hygiene in the wider community and how do you provide adequate policing resources to ensure people don't continue to flout social distancing guidelines in public places, especially if resources are put under strain by outbreaks among the policing community? - something we have already seen in Victoria.

-How do you provide adequate public transport resources to ensure children can travel to school as safely as possible and social distancing requirements can be strictly observed?

-How can you definitively say the virus isn't an issue for children when the science is still not settled? School students have been found to carry the virus and there is so much that is still unknown about COVID. We are learning new things about the virus every day. The possibility of more long term impacts on children can not be ruled out.....the connection between COVID and higher instances of stroke that have been recorded in children in some areas can not be dismissed.

-How can you guarantee hospitals and health workers who are already under strain will be able to cope with an uncontained outbreak when they have already been stretched to breaking point in some areas?

I get that we can't stay in lockdown forever and that economic and mental health issues are a factor too, but don't accuse others of not thinking unless you have answers for all the unquantifiable questions which could be thrown your way.... the truth is these are uncharted waters for all of us and nobody on either side has all the answers.

I personally think we should have bunkered down for a little longer and I certainly think we should be acting quicker to close borders in the event of fresh outbreaks....we still have to learn a lot about this virus, but we do know it can spread very quickly if measures aren't taken to contain it and it is incorrect to say it isn't a big deal just because most people who catch it won't die or be hospitalised..... it is virulent enough to cause a lot of chaos due to how transmissible it is.

Criticise others for not having all the answers when you have them all yourself.

 

[dogluva]

How can anyone present a workable solution for something as unknown and unquantifiable as a pandemic? I can think of plenty of good questions the business as usual brigade haven't provided workable answers for....

- How do you ensure all children obey social distancing guidelines and preventative hygiene measures in the school environment? Kids are not exactly known for practicing good hygiene and the science on just how transmissible the disease is between children and from children to family members/ teachers etc is far from settled.

- How do you ensure people practice proper hygiene in the wider community and how do you provide adequate policing resources to ensure people don't continue to flout social distancing guidelines in public places, especially if resources are put under strain by outbreaks among the policing community? - something we have already seen in Victoria.

-How do you provide adequate public transport resources to ensure children can travel to school as safely as possible and social distancing requirements can be strictly observed?

-How can you definitively say the virus isn't an issue for children when the science is still not settled? School students have been found to carry the virus and there is so much that is still unknown about COVID. We are learning new things about the virus every day. The possibility of more long term impacts on children can not be ruled out.....the connection between COVID and higher instances of stroke that have been recorded in children in some areas can not be dismissed.

-How can you guarantee hospitals and health workers who are already under strain will be able to cope with an uncontained outbreak when they have already been stretched to breaking point in some areas?

I get that we can't stay in lockdown forever and that economic and mental health issues are a factor too, but don't accuse others of not thinking unless you have answers for all the unquantifiable questions which could be thrown your way.... the truth is these are uncharted waters for all of us and nobody on either side has all the answers.

I personally think we should have bunkered down for a little longer and I certainly think we should be acting quicker to close borders in the event of fresh outbreaks....we still have to learn a lot about this virus, but we do know it can spread very quickly if measures aren't taken to contain it and it is incorrect to say it isn't a big deal just because most people who catch it won't die or be hospitalised..... it is virulent enough to cause a lot of chaos due to how transmissible it is.

Criticise others for not having all the answers when you have them all yourself.

Great post.
Personally I was excluded from school on March 23 and will recommence this coming Tuesday. It was a DOE direction and aimed at people of my age group ( in their 60"s)

There is no social distancing at school for the kids. It is the responsibility of the teachers to distance themselves from the kids. Before lockdown and home schooling, in the early days of COVID teachers lined the kids up before morning assembly, recess and lunch and had pump pots of hand sanitiser and hand wash and made them wash their hands.

As from next Tuesday all volunteers will be allowed back into schools and a lot of them are grandparents ( or were) Don't know how many of them will rock up though with the virus still around. Funny how early on it was Grandparents being asked not to see their grand kids because of possible chance of infection yet now it is okay to put the grandparents back into the mix?

Hard to get it right and we can't live in a bubble forever but if we are to have a degree of freedom and normalcy people need to do the right thing and minimise chance of infection. I find it frightening to sit and watch the television with reports of fresh infections and deaths and a lot out there seemingly oblivious to it all believing it is over....

Did my shopping today and have noticed that quite a lot of the things that were in short supply a few months ago are starting to look a bit thin on the shelves.

 

[Wahesh]

@south of heaven

Just when you think it's starting to go down... 317 new cases in Victoria in 24 hours! That's a new national record for most cases in one day, and smashes their previous record of 288.

 

[Utility]

Great post.
Personally I was excluded from school on March 23 and will recommence this coming Tuesday. It was a DOE direction and aimed at people of my age group ( in their 60"s)

There is no social distancing at school for the kids. It is the responsibility of the teachers to distance themselves from the kids. Before lockdown and home schooling, in the early days of COVID teachers lined the kids up before morning assembly, recess and lunch and had pump pots of hand sanitiser and hand wash and made them wash their hands.

As from next Tuesday all volunteers will be allowed back into schools and a lot of them are grandparents ( or were) Don't know how many of them will rock up though with the virus still around. Funny how early on it was Grandparents being asked not to see their grand kids because of possible chance of infection yet now it is okay to put the grandparents back into the mix?

Hard to get it right and we can't live in a bubble forever but if we are to have a degree of freedom and normalcy people need to do the right thing and minimise chance of infection. I find it frightening to sit and watch the television with reports of fresh infections and deaths and a lot out there seemingly oblivious to it all believing it is over....

Did my shopping today and have noticed that quite a lot of the things that were in short supply a few months ago are starting to look a bit thin on the shelves.

Interesting perspective from a teacher....thanks for sharing. Good luck with your return to work. Stay safe.

 

[south of heaven]

@south of heaven

Just when you think it's starting to go down... 317 new cases in Victoria in 24 hours! That's a new national record for most cases in one day, and smashes their previous record of 288.

And it's all still coming over the boarder, we should of shut off Vic before the holidays. This will set us back months

 

[dogluva]

And it's all still coming over the boarder, we should of shut off Vic before the holidays. This will set us back months

The problem was and as confirmed by Police, is that the Mexicans who were so desperate to get out of Dodge City before it was closed is simply took it upon themselves to get in the car and drive out of the State while they could without any sort of interrogation spreading far and wide up and down the coast without any thought for others. The spike in Liverpool yep you guessed it a Victorian. Selfish and reckless behaviour.
It is really alarming now, in that medicos are saying people from this cluster have been contagious from Day 1 meaning a very ,very narrow window in contract tracing. Horse has bolted before acceptances and means that infection is out there from the get go. From Bowral, Brighton to Parramatta now an issue from this one instance.

 

[dogluva]

@south of heaven

Just when you think it's starting to go down... 317 new cases in Victoria in 24 hours! That's a new national record for most cases in one day, and smashes their previous record of 288.

It was always going to end badly if things started up again. Infection is already there, ideal conditions with Winter upon us and stupidity also in the mix. I foresee a greater spike in the coming days as exponentially it will ramp up. From this one cluster of cases we have a recipe for disaster.

Keep washing and sanitising and keep your distance.

On another note had to take the daughter to pathology yesterday to make an appointment for a specific test and whilst waiting to book receptionist was talking to someone on the phone. " Yes, you need to attend asap for a COVID swab" Freaking fantastic.....

 

[south of heaven]

It was always going to end badly if things started up again. Infection is already there, ideal conditions with Winter upon us and stupidity also in the mix. I foresee a greater spike in the coming days as exponentially it will ramp up. From this one cluster of cases we have a recipe for disaster.

Keep washing and sanitising and keep your distance.

On another note had to take the daughter to pathology yesterday to make an appointment for a specific test and whilst waiting to book receptionist was talking to someone on the phone. " Yes, you need to attend asap for a COVID swab" Freaking fantastic.....

Yep it's getting frustrating. We have still been doing the whole distant thing not going out ,staying away from crowds ect

 

[Cook]

Queensland will tighten its borders from midday on Tuesday to residents of two Sydney suburbs after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk declared them coronavirus hot spots.
Didn't we do this with Victoria before an outbreak

It’s hard because I believe the fella who started outbreak at crossroads was a worker from Victoria. So these people will still be allowed to travel interstate for work requirements. Goes to a pub for dinner, meets some locals enjoys there company for few hours than its spread.

 

[Dawgfather]

My personal opinion is that there is far too much panic and scaremongering.

Depending which source you look at, Australia had 800-900 influenza related deaths in 2019.

In the 4 months (roughly) or so, since this covid thing started, we've had just over 100 deaths.

317 cases today in Vic is bad in that it's the most number of cases in a single day, but it's hardly the end of the world. Given the restrictions and efforts being put into tracing, it's hard to imagine the infections are going to get out of control to the point where they are exploding in number every day.

It's also worth pointing out that (still) the only people in Australia that seem to die to Covid are in their 70's or above.

17 people under the age of 70 have died. Of these, 14 were in their 60's and 2 in their 50's and one in their 40's.

These are hardly numbers that people should be trembling over.

However I do agree that the 'at-risk' demographic should be very strict with their health right now (meaning those in their 60's but moreso 70's) should be very careful who they see or touch and how they manage their own hand and face hygiene.

I see (and know) healthy people in their 30's and 40's driving around inside their cars (with no one else inside the car) with a mask on.
.

 

[Cook]

My personal opinion is that there is far too much panic and scaremongering.

Depending which source you look at, Australia had 800-900 influenza related deaths in 2019.

In the 4 months (roughly) or so, since this covid thing started, we've had just over 100 deaths.

317 cases today in Vic is bad in that it's the most number of cases in a single day, but it's hardly the end of the world. Given the restrictions and efforts being put into tracing, it's hard to imagine the infections are going to get out of control to the point where they are exploding in number every day.

It's also worth pointing out that (still) the only people in Australia that seem to die to Covid are in their 70's or above.

17 people under the age of 70 have died. Of these, 14 were in their 60's and 2 in their 50's and one in their 40's.

These are hardly numbers that people should be trembling over.

However I do agree that the 'at-risk' demographic should be very strict with their health right now (meaning those in their 60's but moreso 70's) should be very careful who they see or touch and how they manage their own hand and face hygiene.

I see (and know) healthy people in their 30's and 40's driving around inside their cars (with no one else inside the car) with a mask on.
.

Even if you use the total of cases worldwide. It still only equates to half of our population.

 

[Dawgfather]

Even if you use the total of cases worldwide. It still only equates to half of our population.

the media seem to be fixated on the number of cases right now - when really (IMO) what should be told to us is the number of infections (plus) number of deaths and the demographic of people dying (I read a report from a study last week which said that something like 98% of all Covid deaths were people with existing conditions).

i.e. you almost always don't die from Covid unless you are already unwell.

 

[Cook]

I agree. But Dawg has a point on the child transmission thing. That's from actual peer reviewed research. More recent research is saying that children may have a higher transmission but that's yet to be peer reviewed.

The other factor that many don't consider is that economic downturn leads to deaths as well. So there needs to be some consideration in that respect.

But it's a balancing thing. Economic downturn will lead to deaths but less deaths than Covid-19. A complete global economic crash on the other hand could lead to more deaths than covid-19. So there needs to be some balance and caution on both sides.

I agree that in

the media seem to be fixated on the number of cases right now - when really (IMO) what should be told to us is the number of infections (plus) number of deaths and the demographic of people dying (I read a report from a study last week which said that something like 98% of all Covid deaths were people with existing conditions).

i.e. you almost always don't die from Covid unless you are already unwell.

thats right. It’s always been the age bracket and people with comorbidities at risk. It’s still about hygiene. If your practicing this everything should be fine. It annoys me seeing people cough into there hands still especially at the shops. How many times have we been told to use your upper arm.