COVID-19 Stuff Here

[Kenny Powers]

I was talking to colleagues in Sydney last week and reflected that they should get ready for the rage caused by the rabble protesting lock down measures. I'm not convinced they're all out of work and doing it tough. In Melbourne the people I came across who'd go to those events or express solidarity with protestors were spoilt individuals. It's infuriating, particularly when there's a high chance of those events being superspreaders.

A key thing being missed is the cash economy. You have no tax return, business activity statement that you need to claim support, assistance etc. For the first time the construction industry has been shut in Sydney a huge part of the cash economy. These guys are spitting blood.

There is plenty the media aren’t calling out with the lockdown in Sydney. It’s in the data and locking down harder won’t solve it. It’s family to family visits causing the spread.

 

[boyo]

 

[Pfitzy]

It’s family to family visits causing the spread.

That's what we're told, but it can't be the sole reason. Otherwise why do we keep having 40% of cases per day unlinked to existing known sources?

As we go into this cycle of easing and tightening restrictions, the government needs to have a simple plan to support people. Trying to add more layers of red tape won't work.

Universal Basic Income works for me.

 

[Kenny Powers]

That's what we're told, but it can't be the sole reason. Otherwise why do we keep having 40% of cases per day unlinked to existing known sources?

No doubt there are mystery cases but when they talk about unlinked these are cases that are less than a day old contact tracers have got the the bottom of. I would imagine most are resolved in the subsequent 24 hour period. We just don’t get those numbers. It’s households getting together that are killing this. Four weeks in lockdown and the numbers are getting higher and it is not in the area where it first seeded and some parts of Sydney have very few if any cases. It has to be called for what it is.

 

[Tex]

It was the same in Melbourne last year.

When they announced a curfew it had a tangible psychological impact. Very hard to swallow. But it immediately meant people took the situation more seriously, even if the measure itself didn't have much of an impact on case numbers.

 

[Dctarget]

Who wants some good news? Miraculously my girlfriend has just taken off with 6 other individuals from Paris for Australia. I thought she was gone for all money in the most recent spate of cancellations and bumpings when they did the 50% hotel quarantine reduction. A non-Aussie on an economy ticket who's not a bigot, a movie star, Caitlyn Jenner or part of Hillsong but somehow she's done it.

Apparently the airport staff were quite surprised hearing she was moving to Aus, we've been deemed a bit of a shadow country of late and they were impressed anyone was coming here aha.

Now just two weeks of hotel quarantine in Syd, haven't had the heart to tell her yet about how impossible it is to get her into Victoria after the quarantine. One step at a time.

 

[Dismal Pillock]

haven't had the heart to tell her yet about how impossible it is to get her into Victoria after the quarantine.

She can stay at my place if you like.

I can give her the vaccine.

 

[Tex]

Who wants some good news? Miraculously my girlfriend has just taken off with 6 other individuals from Paris for Australia. I thought she was gone for all money in the most recent spate of cancellations and bumpings when they did the 50% hotel quarantine reduction. A non-Aussie on an economy ticket who's not a bigot, a movie star, Caitlyn Jenner or part of Hillsong but somehow she's done it.

Apparently the airport staff were quite surprised hearing she was moving to Aus, we've been deemed a bit of a shadow country of late and they were impressed anyone was coming here aha.

Now just two weeks of hotel quarantine in Syd, haven't had the heart to tell her yet about how impossible it is to get her into Victoria after the quarantine. One step at a time.

Good stuff mate. Dinghy over the Murray at Echuca?

 

[Teh Other Dave]

She can stay at my place if you like.

I can give her the vaccine.

You'll probably need to wait until your Mum goes to indoor bowls.

 

[Dctarget]

Good stuff mate. Dinghy over the Murray at Echuca?

Aha honestly it’ll be something like that. HQ and the airport are green zones, though there’s no flights after she gets released. Not even anywhere in the country. It’s looking like the most likely option, if they let me, is to drive up from Vic, with food and supplies in the car, pick her up in the evening when she gets released then hare back down all in the same trip without stopping anywhere except for fuel.

 

[Tex]

That's wild but an adventure nonetheless. Good luck navigating the bureaucracy!

Good day in Melbourne with delta beaten twice and the fifth lockdown ending, albeit slightly.

 

[Pfitzy]

Good stuff mate. Dinghy over the Murray at Echuca?

The Murray is effectively a DMZ. Nobody owns it

 

[Teh Other Dave]

The Murray is effectively a DMZ. Nobody owns it

 

[Derpus]

It was the same in Melbourne last year.

When they announced a curfew it had a tangible psychological impact. Very hard to swallow. But it immediately meant people took the situation more seriously, even if the measure itself didn't have much of an impact on case numbers.

Fuck having a curfew, thank you very much. I personally am willing to allow many millions of Australians to die before i get locked in my apartment all day doing fucking work and then i can't even go for a stroll around the block with wine in my sippy cup in the evening.

 

[Derpus]

Aha honestly it’ll be something like that. HQ and the airport are green zones, though there’s no flights after she gets released. Not even anywhere in the country. It’s looking like the most likely option, if they let me, is to drive up from Vic, with food and supplies in the car, pick her up in the evening when she gets released then hare back down all in the same trip without stopping anywhere except for fuel.

 

[Dismal Pillock]

I personally am willing to allow many millions of Australians to die

Harsh but has signature potential.

 

[boyo]

 

[boyo]

 

[formerflanker]

Does anyone know how to authenticate this:
https://www.cdc.gov/csels/dls/locs/...-changes_CDC_RT-PCR_SARS-CoV-2_Testing_1.html
It purports to be a "Laboratory Alert" from the CDC telling labs to stop using the current Covid19 tests from December 2021 because the current one can't distinguish between Covid and the flu.
Worrying if true. Puts all "cases" under a cloud of suspicion.
Happy to have my interpretation corrected if I'm wrong.

 

[Braveheart81]

Does anyone know how to authenticate this:
https://www.cdc.gov/csels/dls/locs/...-changes_CDC_RT-PCR_SARS-CoV-2_Testing_1.html
It purports to be a "Laboratory Alert" from the CDC telling labs to stop using the current Covid19 tests from December 2021 because the current one can't distinguish between Covid and the flu.
Worrying if true. Puts all "cases" under a cloud of suspicion.
Happy to have my interpretation corrected if I'm wrong.

It has absolutely nothing to do with that.

It isn't a test but a set of instructions/reagents for doing a COVID test which no longer requires the Emergency Use Authorisation because they want labs using other methods (which presumably most already are because a lot has changed since these first testing methods were introduced a year and a half ago).

The main thing with this is that they want labs testing for both COVID and influenza because flu season is approaching in the US. This test only tests for COVID.