I went to get my 5 day COVID test today. One drive through centre was closed even though the website said it should be open. I went to a different testing place that wasn’t accepting new patients as there was already a 3 hour wait. If you are going to implement 5 day COVID testing make sure you have enough staff to perform the testing with out making people wait for hours. The QLD Premier also seems to think that only 10 per cent of people getting tested are doing the 5 day tests. I very much think that is a major under estimate. Probably why the queues were so long.
Yes I have but its not just QLD that have these requirements. The NSW media has really created this hate towards QLD.
No. It’s because these people are trying to go to QLD.
Perhaps but SA, NT and Tasmania all require the same tests. So its not just QLD. Its only been in the last few hours SA has dropped that requirement and said a rapid test is ok. The media have painted it as if it is QLD’s fault.
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Well I can assure you that a LOT more people are going to QLD than SA.
That’s my point.
Drop the testing for QLD and you’ll the lines in NSW and VIC drop within minutes.
I don’t doubt that but it’s not just QLD. QLD, Victoria and WA cop the most amount of criticism from the media. And it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to wonder why. SA, Tasmania and NSW have done similar things to these three states and yet they don’t seem to be reported. Tasmania went into a snap lockdown over 0 cases. If this had happened in WA it would have been heavily criticised. Yet there was nothing.
They are. There isn’t enough supply. Probably another thing to thank Scott Morrison for.
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laughs in west australian
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Is there really that much demand for domestic travel to Queensland and SA? I’ve no doubt those sates changing their requirements will lead to fewer tests, but tens of thousands a day?
Update: Victoria claims 1 in 5 tests are relating to interstate travel.
Won’t the testing stay until QLD gets to at least 90% double vaxxed.
It’s being discussed in Seven Cricket Coverage thread.
England team was given the all clear after a rapid antigen test, and arrived at the MCG at 9.53am for warm-ups.
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So are state hubs not doing any vaccinations this week? Most GPs would be shut or have limited resources too. If we need to ramp up boosters now is the time to get onto it, even if it’s reduced staff/capacity. We just can’t take a break until after New Year’s. We were doing close to 50,000 vaccinations a day just before Christmas which were the biggest days we’ve had in a couple of months.
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I wonder if it has to do with paying the casuals public holiday rates? A friend of mine was administering the vaccines a few months ago and the money was quite high on weekends.
I believe so. I was speaking to some staff at the repat hub who told me they’re initial contract ended on the 23rd, when it became obvious they would be required into January a break was incorporated. There’s a few state hubs operating mostly in regional areas.
There’s a GP near me open today doing a roaring trade, I noticed yesterday they are one of the few GPs open today with any vaccinations available.
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It varies a bit depending on day but flight seats between VIC → QLD is about 30,000 a day. NSW about 40,000.
It’s peak season. Come Feb is drops off significantly. That’s why Day 5 tests are also burning QLD testing facilities. Previous to all this opening, when Cairns had a couple of cases this year, they tested like 1000 people a day and the results took days. Now they are facing 5k tests a day.
Now how would rapid tests work before entry into a state? Do you need to get it at the border or something? Most chemists are now sold out.
Which is probably why QLD has made this effective from January 1. Even though it was approved since November there isn’t enough supply. I’m not sure if this is a federal or state responsibility.
The whole handling of RAT has been pretty terrible - we dont have the supply because there were a whole range of restrictions placed on their use (if at all), now the situation has changed and there has been a pivot on their use we’ve discovered the hard way that we don’t have any!
My employer will accept a RAT result - but only if it’s administered by a trained tester which kind of defeats the purpose of accepting RAT results.
One day last week Nine News GC said there were 59 flights into Coolangatta on one day.
Courier Mail reported today that 400,000 visitors had applied to enter Queensland