COVID-19 in Australia (Mar 14): health alert from Department of Health

昨天email收到取消三月中的Welcome dinner project，早上SA Health的記者會提到下星期一開始取消500人以上的集會活動，但這個週末的活動照常舉行。記者提問那周末的活動就能夠照常進行嗎，因為考慮到對經濟的影響，照中央的建議似乎是如此。
Yesterday I got the email said Welcome dinner project in mid Mar is cancelled. The press conference held by SA health this morning said from Monday, all events more than 500 people would be cancelled. Media asked why not started from weekend. The response was it is to lower the economic impact and this is the suggestion from government.

 (這個週末舉辦的活動是Adelaide Fringe的閉幕式，長達九小時的售票音樂表演活動)
 (The event this weekend is the close ceremony for Adelaide Fringe. A nine-hour long music event for ticket sale.)

記者會也提到週末的時候，篩檢站會照常進行。在星期六早上開記者會並且篩檢站也繼續，對這裡來說已經算是很嚴正的回應，因為基本上這裡的人沒有什麼社會責任這樣的概念，個人要放假的重要性遠大於群體的利益，在星期六上班處理這樣的事情已經是十萬火急的表現了。
They also mentioned the screening station will still take samples during the weekend. They had this press conference on Saturday morning and also keep the screening station working are really taking COVID-19 seriously. People don't have the concept of "social responsibility". Personal vacation is much more important that community benefit. It is really unusual for them to work on Saturday morning for this.

SA Health 在記者會裡也強調，SA的篩檢量已經高於別州了，他們認為有感染黑數這件事的可能已經比其他週低了，我沒有在網站上確實找到他們的總篩檢量和篩檢的陽性率的數字，一部份是這裡的網站設計邏輯不是要讓人能夠找到資料的，也有一部份可能是這就是他們藏資料的方式。
They also emphasized the test number in SA has already been higher than other states. So they believed it is less likely to have the risk of community infection in SA. I didn't fine the number of how many tests they have done on their website. One reason is the logic in website design is only in this level. Another reason is this is the way how their government hides numbers.


但從我來看，這一切的動作，包含開放採檢有症狀但沒有接觸、旅遊史的人，已經晚了三個星期以上。
From my point of view, all of these actions, including testing all people with symptoms but without contact history, is at least 3 week later then it should have been.

上星期這裡的人開始意識到好像可能會流行、開始搶衛生紙，但在這之前的兩周，我在Rundle mall 已經遇到不只一個連續咳嗽不停的路人，每周搭一到兩次公車，來回的路上也都這麼剛好遇得到連續咳嗽的人，二月下半的時候天氣還是相對熱的，路上有呼吸道的症狀比冬天最冷的時候我一個星期上課四天的時候還多，就常理來說，要認為這些連續咳嗽的不特定路人都只是巧合，邏輯上成立的機會也太低。
Last week people started to feel there might be a pandemic and starting to buying toilet paper. But two weeks before last week, I had already meet more than one unspecific people in Rundle mall and buses with continuous coughing in public areas. It was relatively warm back in February, and I met more people having respiratory symptoms then during the coldest months in winter. Logically this doesn't make sense.

接下來如其他國家快速增加，也只是花多少時間把這些人篩出來的問題而已。
It is just the matter of time when they can screen most of these people out.


這裡已經超過台灣還在第一階段的狀態，在沒有其他積極作為只有旅遊禁令的狀況下，沒有準備地讓市場上的衛生消毒用品被搶購一空地渡過了一個月。從一月底回來之後，就開始盡量地準備能夠減少外出的生活，有看到消毒用品的時候就適量地購買，還不錯地有買到刷手液、一小瓶消毒用酒精、一些小罐的乾洗手，衛生紙和其他的存糧也是前幾周分幾次購買，盡量可以減少出門採買食物的次數。
They already passed the stage where Taiwan is now. Except from travel ban, they didn't actively have the strategies against the spread of disease. Most of the sanitation products were gone in the market for more than a month. I started the prepare when I came back in January. I got a bottle of hibiscrub (what we use for disinfection before doing surgery), a small bottle of alcohol and some mini hand sanitizer. I also got some toilet paper and frozen food in several weeks to decrease the frequency going shopping.

口罩則是不用想了。台灣的人口比澳洲少100萬人，口罩日產量現在應該已經到1300萬，這個量還只能買口罩的人七天買三個。這裡全國最初公布的戰備存量是140萬 (我看了幾次才真的確定就是這麼少) ，這周有個新聞槁是他們買了5400萬的口罩優先讓醫療機構使用 (買了但是到底入袋了沒還不知道，後來也沒有再報導口罩的事了)。這個數字也很明白，零售市場基本上是分不到量的。
Masks are impossible to get now. There are 23 million vs. 25 million population in Taiwan and in Australia. Now the daily productivity in Taiwan has reached 13 million masks per day. But this only supports people to buy 3 masks every 7 days. The initial data showed there was only 1.4 million stockpile in Australia for masks. I checked several times to confirm they only have this few. There was a media release about they have gotten 54 million masks for medical institutes (but I couldn't tell if these masks are already in here or just on their way). It is clear that this number of mask won't be released to the market for general population.

看著可以預防的時機漸漸地錯過，且學校在這當中的做為大多是在想幫助中國學生回來上課，而沒有同時加強學校環境的清潔以及迎新活動的相關規畫，接下來的劇本在其他國家已經搬演到一半，只是這裡演得多快而已。
It is a pity to watch them missing the timing for prevention. When the Uni did was only try to get Chinese students back but didn't work much on the disinfection of the environment or a better monitor of O'week. The script has been played around the world, it is just how fat they play the plot here.

做為常時淋雨只能靠自己的台灣人，看這些平常有傘撐的人把自己搞成這樣，也是蠻五味雜陳的。這個世界上，靠自己不會倒可能才是不變的真理。
As a Taiwanese who consistently walking in the rain, seeing these people who used to have umbrellas gradually trapping in this trick makes me feel complicated. Maybe the only truth in the world is to only trust yourself.

In Australia

As at 06:30 hrs on 14 March 2020, there were 197 confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19), including 3 deaths, in Australia.

• 1 in the Australian Capital Territory
• 91 in New South Wales
• 0 in the Northern Territory^*
• 35 in Queensland^#
• 16 in South Australia^#
• 4 in Tasmania
• 36 in Victoria^*#
• 14 in Western Australia^#

*Note that under National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System reporting requirements, cases are reported based on their Australian jurisdiction of residence rather than where they were detected. For example, a case reported previously in the NT in a NSW resident is counted in the national figures as a NSW case.
# Includes Diamond Princess repatriation cases: Qld (3), SA (1), Vic (4), WA (2, including 1 death).
Further details:

• 15 of the initially reported cases in Australia all had a direct or indirect travel history to Wuhan, China
• 10 cases, including 1 death, are associated with the Diamond Princess cruise ship repatriation flight from Japan
• 18 cases are reported to have had a direct or indirect travel link to Iran
• 92 cases are reported to have had a direct or indirect travel link to other countries and regions.
• 32 cases, including 2 deaths, do not have a reported history of overseas travel
  • 8 of these cases are associated with an aged care facility in NSW. 2 residents of this facility have sadly died
  • 2 cases are either directly or indirectly associated with attendance at a workshop
  • 22 cases are close contacts of known cases, with further details pending
• The likely place of exposure for a further 30 newly reported cases is under investigation

Of the 197 Australian cases reported, 27 of these cases are reported to have recovered.

What we are doing

Australia is well prepared.
Our first class health system includes mechanisms for early detection and effective management of cases and contacts. Our plans include a range of interventions to minimise transmission and mitigate the impact of the outbreak.
Australian Government agencies and state and territory governments are working together to coordinate an evidence-based response. This includes:

• applying travel restrictions to reduce the number of travellers from mainland China, Iran and the Republic of Korea. This evening a travel ban will be implemented for Italy
• applying a 14-day isolation period to people at risk of getting coronavirus
• continuing to screen travellers who arrive in Australia
• tracing coronavirus cases
• continuing with border surveillance
• providing information in English and Chinese based on the latest medical advice, including through Facebook, Twitter, Weibo, WeChat and Chinese newspapers
• applying enhanced border measures at international air and sea ports, including announcements and signs

P2 and surgical masks have been made available from the National Medical Stockpile as part of the Government’s response to COVID-19. The Government is also investigating further sources of supply for personal protective equipment, both internationally and domestically.
State and territory health authorities are:

• testing anyone who shows symptoms of the virus
• monitoring close contacts of confirmed cases every day