There is likely to be a minimal reduction in transmission if you are boostered, but it’s still very possible to catch it.
I saw Tim Campbell do an interesting post on Instagram this morning. Basically Anthony Callea has COVID and Tim is still testing negative after 6 days. They are in the same house and Tim basically states that they were intimate the night before Anthony tested positive. Tim said that he is boostered… which could be the reason he’s remained negative.
The best indication is to watch the PCR number for VIC and that is at least down. I feel like the past few days results are still coming in from exposure on NYE (due to delays, backlog of results, people only finding RATs now etc). So I do hope that most of that is recorded now and we have peaked.
I said banning dancing and “vertical” consumption now moving forward will save no lives and instead the focus should shift to things that actually will protect the vulnerable and save lives… And I maintain that.
Banning those activities on the 31st possibly would have had some impact. But people hug kiss dance and cheer in big crowds outside of nightclubs on the 31st too.
Nightclubs I’m sure have high transmisión. As do pubs, weddings, church, schools, sports events. Anywhere we people Interact at a close proximity
But then counter to that thinking (which is logical) you have France who Closed clubs 2 months ago when cases were at 25,000 and now cases in France are at 300,000
Also Scotland and Wales closed clubs, England did not - yet the two former saw cases rise faster than England
Close clubs - and party minded people find other ways to socialize and in close proximity.
A government “Banning dancing” 2 years into a pandemic is laughable. It takes saying it out loud to realize just how ridiculous it is.
Well, well, well - I took a well deserved break from the internet and social media over the holiday period and feel so much better for it, but what a pickle we find ourselves in now… perhaps naive of me but I never anticipated any jurisdiction in AU recording the numbers we’re seeing now.
It’s heartening to see that the governments haven’t been over zealous in putting in place harsh restrictions though.
I know so many around me with COVID now, every second day I get a call from a friend saying they have tested positive… only a matter of time now.
What’s everyone doing at the moment? Laying low or living life?
I’m somewhere in the middle, I’ve certainly adapted my activities but nowhere near what things were like in lockdown. I’m largely only going out when I’m outdoors i.e. beer gardens at the pub, I did go to the cinema twice last week but opted for A.M. sessions before the cinemas were busy etc. I haven’t returned to the gym yet, mostly because I’m going to a theatre show on Sunday and don’t wanna risk it until I’ve seen the show - but in my mind I’ve decided I’ll go back to gym floor only and not go running and bouncing around a studio doing group fitness classes - not sure there’s a massive different but in my head there is.
That was pretty much my approach over the break but it still caught up with me. I kept it to a small circle of friends and family, unfortunately everyone that I saw in a different couple of friends groups started testing positive. Thankfully I hadn’t see my family since the 29th, and I likely contracted it on either the 30th or 31st.
I still havn’t ruled out the gym either as to where I got it. I do BodyFit so they are group classes. I noticed a massive drop off in attendance at classes in the couple that I did at the start of Jan (before I was positive) compared to what they were between Christmas and New Year. It makes me wonder if it has been circulating there too.
Basically though I agree with your approach. Do things but with extra precautions. If you have something important coming up then restrict as much as you can. However you can’t completely avoid it, you might just get bad luck. Given how mild my symptoms have been you can understand how people are out there with it and may not realise.
I don’t even think it is bad luck at this stage, it’s everywhere so the likely outcome is that if you’re out and about you’ll get it eventually.
I don’t want it, but I’m ok with the reality that I likely will given I won’t heavily restrict living my life.
I’ve mentally accepted I’m likely to get it this weekend, I have a gathering at a barefoot bowls party on Saturday with a group of friends - it’s outdoors so less risky but a risk still given it’s a largish group following by Frozen at the theatre on Sunday.
Out of everyone I know who has had it so far noone has had anything more than a slight cold, one friend had what he described as “a bad cold” but was still totally fine.
Under the new pandemic laws, the Victorian Government will mandate a third dose of the vaccination for essential workers of certain industries. Workers eligible for a booster on or before Wednesday must have had their third shot by February 12 (Source: 3AW News).
At this morning’s NSW Government press conference, a reporter asked CHO Kerry Chant why the vaccination status of the daily death totals was shown during the detailed update. Dr Chant’s reply was (according to ABC News live blog):
I suppose it is also just around the fact that we will collectively report the vaccination status for individuals. I would like to say to the community to expect that increasingly that there will be elderly people that are doubly vaxed and also boosted that die. Many of those have got pre-existing health conditions. I suppose we are also balancing the issue that yes, so we will be collating the information and presenting it. But also we just want to process where we work with families to let them know what information is being released.
And also when we release this information we are really not making any judgement and I think that’s really important.
We just urge everyone who is not vaccinated to come forth. But as we go forward we should expect, because most people are vaccinated to see an increasing proportion of people in ICU that are vaccinated. And we will always tragically have deaths sometimes with or because COVID may have hastened the death in people that are near end of life. And we are attempting to refine the way we present that data in the epidemiological report so people get a better balance of those circumstances. So they can assess for themselves the impact of COVID.
Too soft. It’s important information. The unvaccinated are making selfish decisions that affect the rest of society. It is in the public Interest. we should be allowed to know and judge their choices.
Victoria to close down indoor dancefloors, encourages people to work from home
Also in the changes announced, indoor dancefloors in hospitality and entertainment venues will also close from 11:59pm on Wednesday January 12.
Venues can still operate and there are no changes to density settings.
Indoor dancefloors at weddings will be permitted, but hosts and guests are urged to consider putting them outside if possible.
There are strong recommendations that people work from home if they can.
Patrons at hospitalilty and entertainment venues urged to choose seated service and to use a rapid antigen test before visiting (if they can get hold of them).
Residents at aged care centres will be allowed up to 5 visitors per day, but all must return a negative RAT before entering. If no RAT are available, residents can have no more than two visitors
Visitors in hospital must have received two doses of a COVID vaccine or return a negative RAT before entering. Adults who are not fully vaccinated must wear an N95 mask during their visit, while standard face masks are mandated for children aged 8+
Workers in manufacturing, distribution or packaging of food and beverages including retail supermarket workers may be exempted from close contact isolation requirements in order to attend work from 11:59pm January 12 if it is necessary for the continuity of operations and other options are exhausted. Exempted workers must be asymptomatic and undertake daily RAT for 5 days and return a negative result.
I don’t understand this particular aspect - if you are going to ban dancing, ban it everywhere. And put what outside? The bride and groom?
Is Victoria currently mandated to wear masks on public transport and in small and large crowds? (e.g shopping centres, city centre etc and smaller shop chains)
Has anyone on here been successful on purchasing a RAT over the last week or so?
Yesterday I went to a Coles, two Woolworths stores, a Chemist Warehouse, Priceline, Amcal and two independently owned pharmacy’s. All out of stock and weren’t sure they’ll get a delivery next. One place had a list of orders going.
It is just ridiculous. You try and do the right thing and you continually get screwed over.
I’ve also given up on finding a RAT at the moment.
I’m unsure why the governments aren’t at least considering some additional restrictions across the East Coast over the next week or so just to help improve RAT supply and to hopefully delay hospitalisations where possible.
I had the same experience last week chasing around multiple pharmacies. A good tip is to follow Jacqui Felgate on Instagram. She posts in her stories the scoop of places that have stock. You have to get onto them quick though. I was lucky last week to see a post of a place right near me and get some. Also keep in mind that some testing sites now have RATs which they will hand out for free if you don’t fit the criteria for PCR. I know that Melbourne Showgrounds is one of them but there are others.
Also for those in Melbourne - I’ve heard that Royal Exhibition Building are doing boosters for anyone that is 3+ months on walk-ins. A lot of places are sticking to the 4 month rule and that’s what I was told as well when I called the COVID hotline last week… but I have now seen numerous people say that at Royal Exhibition Building they were able to get it early.
