The Reality of Living in Australia and Covid

[Alan Mighty]

Reports from the National Cabinet meeting today 30 December suggest that Rapid Antigen Tests will no longer be free to the user. RATlickers will have to pay!

SA Premier Marshall said giving away rapid tests free of charge was “completely against public health advice, except in circumstances with particularly vulnerable communities”.

The national cabinet agreed that rapid tests will not be handed out to anyone who wants one.

Aus PM Morrison said anyone who would “just like to get a test” needed to buy one and that was “what the private market is for”. Supermarkets and pharmacies would not supply enough rapid tests if there was a chance that governments were to “all of a sudden ... go around and start providing these free to anybody and everybody”.

[Alan Mighty]

Stating the obvious:

* New South Wales recorded 21K confirmed new cases, with a positivity rate of 14.3%, on 31 December;

* Victoria recorded 5.9K confirmed new cases, with a positivity rate of 8.9%;

* the govt push to reduce public health resources, including to induce people not to take govt-supplied PCR tests and instead to use Rapid Test Kits - Antigen (aka Lateral Flow tests, aka Rapid Antigen Tests, aka RATlickers' tests) used in the privacy of one's own home, will reduce the confirmed new cases massively. That transfers the problem from being one of public health, drawing upon taxpayers' resources and counted by govt, to a private or personal one (such that no one knows the real number, so no one in govt can manage the problem because the problem does not even appear to exist). Personal responsibility, not public responsibility. As our good friend Donald J. said, testing is the problem. So we have achieved the end to testing! Victory is ours. Sad.

* for the entertainment: https://www.mamamia.com.au/covid-in-the-future/

[goboatingnow]

I agree, even here with Antigen test kits are a market price of €2.25 per test , way too many people are testing. The PCR centres are then overrun with symptom-less Covid people , then theres the close contacts , the whole damn country is full of symptom-less people ( or with a 2 day sniffle like my brother ) isolating for 10 days . This is turning into a joke. I see Italy has just removed any need for quarantine for symptom-less close contact persons

[El Pinguino]

Here we go again
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-...inet/100733138
'National cabinet has already amended its new COVID-19 rules, further relaxing testing arrangements by removing the requirement for confirmed cases in isolation to do a rapid antigen test on the sixth day after being exposed.

The change has been made less than 24 hours after the rules were announced following a snap national cabinet meeting on Thursday.'

I sometimes think I am losing the plot - and then I think 'No, its them that's lost it.'

Did anybody see Scumbo at yesterday's meeting?

I still think he is in Fiji and they are using a double.
Last few times I saw 'him' it was easy to pick, the double doesn't know how to do the 'Scomo Smirk'.

Or maybe Scumbo has just stopped smirking as he has realised the BS isn't working anymore and he will be joining the ranks of the unemployed in the not too distant future.

[Alan Mighty]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

I sometimes think I am losing the plot - and then I think 'No, its them that's lost it.'

The lefty rag, which no sensible person admits to having read or even knowing about, has a story about the opinion of the independent (of govt) experts known as the OzSAGE.

https://www.theguardian.com/australi...covid-response

I have to move my lips and run my fingers along the line as I read. But my take is that you have NOT lost the plot. Sad.

[Alan Mighty]

Originally Posted by Alan Mighty

* the govt push to reduce public health resources, including to induce people not to take govt-supplied PCR tests and instead to use Rapid Test Kits - Antigen (aka Lateral Flow tests, aka Rapid Antigen Tests, aka RATlickers' tests) used in the privacy of one's own home, will reduce the confirmed new cases massively. That transfers the problem from being one of public health, drawing upon taxpayers' resources and counted by govt, to a private or personal one (such that no one knows the real number, so no one in govt can manage the problem because the problem does not even appear to exist). Personal responsibility, not public responsibility. As our good friend Donald J. said, testing is the problem. So we have achieved the end to testing! Victory is ours. Sad.

From: https://www.afr.com/politics/nsw-rec...0211231-p59l24

---- BLOCKQUOTE starts ----

NSW reported a record 21,151 new COVID-19 infections on Friday, but epidemiologists say the true number of infections could be more than double the reported figure given the limits on testing capacity.

The state chalked up more infections in a single day on Friday than it did over the first 76 days of its second wave, which was characterised by the spread of the less transmissible delta variant.

Daily records were also set in Victoria, which posted 5919 infections, Queensland, which had 3118, South Australia, which recorded 2093, and Tasmania, where 137 people contracted the virus. More than 138,000 Australians have an active infection, according to the Covidlive website.

UNSW infectious disease expert Marylouise McLaws told The Australian Financial Review that the real number of new cases in NSW could be double the reported figure.

“[Case numbers] could be twice as high because people have been turned away from PCR testing for a number of days now, and now they are no longer able to get a PCR test unless they are within the definition of a close contact,” Professor McLaws said.

“We will never again know the true number of infections, and for a wealthy Western country we have basically lost the public health approach to a serious pandemic,” she said, citing national cabinet’s agreement to effectively limit PCR testing to symptomatic close contacts.

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by Alan Mighty

From: https://www.afr.com/politics/nsw-rec...0211231-p59l24

---- BLOCKQUOTE starts ----

NSW reported a record 21,151 new COVID-19 infections on Friday, but epidemiologists say the true number of infections could be more than double the reported figure given the limits on testing capacity.

The state chalked up more infections in a single day on Friday than it did over the first 76 days of its second wave, which was characterised by the spread of the less transmissible delta variant.

Daily records were also set in Victoria, which posted 5919 infections, Queensland, which had 3118, South Australia, which recorded 2093, and Tasmania, where 137 people contracted the virus. More than 138,000 Australians have an active infection, according to the Covidlive website.

UNSW infectious disease expert Marylouise McLaws told The Australian Financial Review that the real number of new cases in NSW could be double the reported figure.

“[Case numbers] could be twice as high because people have been turned away from PCR testing for a number of days now, and now they are no longer able to get a PCR test unless they are within the definition of a close contact,” Professor McLaws said.

“We will never again know the true number of infections, and for a wealthy Western country we have basically lost the public health approach to a serious pandemic,” she said, citing national cabinet’s agreement to effectively limit PCR testing to symptomatic close contacts.

Sadly it appears that slomo and dom have adopted the bury the head approach, possibly not the best thing in these trying times.
Dom appears to view the situation as an economic crisis rather than a public health crisis.
Could be worse I guess, Honolulu was slomo' prefered hidee hole last time.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Uncle Bob

Sadly it appears that slomo and dom have adopted the bury the head approach, possibly not the best thing in these trying times.

Their heads are buried alright. They are searching with both hands and God is holding the flashlight for both of them.

Prospects of finding what they are looking for are slim.

[Wotname]

.......

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

I have 5 litres of Ivermectin pour-on if you want to drop by the campo.
Seems to work.
None of my cows have covid.

I've heard they have herd immunity .

[El Pinguino]

A little positive news to end the year on
https://www.theage.com.au/world/afri....html#comments

We can but hope.

I think if I was in charge of anything just now I would put a 'F*ck it - I've gone on holiday' sticker on it and bugger orf o/s.

Come to think of it - maybe that isn't such a bad idea.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by Uncle Bob

Sadly it appears that slomo and dom have adopted the bury the head approach, possibly not the best thing in these trying times.
Dom appears to view the situation as an economic crisis rather than a public health crisis.
Could be worse I guess, Honolulu was slomo' prefered hidee hole last time.

They are a pair of happy clapping dullard's
What's the rest of Australia's excuse?

Yes, I realise not all are thickies but there are plenty.

[Lucky Luke 1]

Tasmania reopening has been a huge political mistake as i predicted.
Know one is happy with the new normal. Older people are scared. My late 70's year old active mum is no longer walking as much as she did nor socializing and shopping as she was only a few weeks ago. Tasmanians are no longer traveling within the state. Sole traders and casual employees are no longer checking in.

Was a bad move from the Premier to not put the islanders above the mainland pressure.

[Factor]

Originally Posted by Alan Mighty

From: https://www.afr.com/politics/nsw-rec...0211231-p59l24

---- BLOCKQUOTE starts ----

NSW reported a record 21,151 new COVID-19 infections on Friday, but epidemiologists say the true number of infections could be more than double the reported figure given the limits on testing capacity.

The state chalked up more infections in a single day on Friday than it did over the first 76 days of its second wave, which was characterised by the spread of the less transmissible delta variant.

Daily records were also set in Victoria, which posted 5919 infections, Queensland, which had 3118, South Australia, which recorded 2093, and Tasmania, where 137 people contracted the virus. More than 138,000 Australians have an active infection, according to the Covidlive website.

UNSW infectious disease expert Marylouise McLaws told The Australian Financial Review that the real number of new cases in NSW could be double the reported figure.

“[Case numbers] could be twice as high because people have been turned away from PCR testing for a number of days now, and now they are no longer able to get a PCR test unless they are within the definition of a close contact,” Professor McLaws said.

“We will never again know the true number of infections, and for a wealthy Western country we have basically lost the public health approach to a serious pandemic,” she said, citing national cabinet’s agreement to effectively limit PCR testing to symptomatic close contacts.

I am so sick of Mary Louise McCaws. So sick, between her and that twat norman swan the abc have got more wrong than right. Also sick of the abject failure to understand the constitutional roles of various people and jurisdictions. Also sick of people who dont understand that governing is not about single issues its about balancing all positives and negatives and making a decision.

Last year 1094 people died on the roads in Australia, 909 died from Covid. I havent heard anyone suggest that we stop driving cars? We as a society dont like people dying on the road, but we accept that it will happen and balance that cost against the freedom convenience and economic benefit.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Factor

I am so sick of Mary Louise McCaws. So sick, between her and that twat norman swan the abc have got more wrong than right. Also sick of the abject failure to understand the constitutional roles of various people and jurisdictions. Also sick of people who dont understand that governing is not about single issues its about balancing all positives and negatives and making a decision.



Last year 1094 people died on the roads in Australia, 909 died from Covid. I havent heard anyone suggest that we stop driving cars? We as a society dont like people dying on the road, but we accept that it will happen and balance that cost against the freedom convenience and economic benefit.

Be very careful comparing the numbers of deaths as a justification for not needing things like lockdowns.

Similar numbers died on the road as died from Covid BECAUSE of all the restrictions. Without the lockdowns etc the deaths from Covid would have been enormous.

Look at the numbers from Florida I noted last week. 62,000 from a developed nation state with a population a bit smaller than Oz.

So fine, I support your right to disagree with the measures taken, but not your right to misinterpret data. (I’m a maths teacher, I guess it’s our equivalent of the Hippocratic oath.)