Ninth and tenth Victorian coronavirus deaths recorded
Hopeful holiday-makers have been given mixed messages by health authorities about whether or not they can get away over the Easter break. It comes as a popular winebar in Melbourne’s northeast was linked to at least five cases of coronavirus.
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Hopeful holiday-makers have been given mixed messages about whether or not they can get away over the Easter break.
The explicit direction from the government to stay at home was reiterated by state Health Minister Jenny Mikakos at a press conference on Monday.
However, at the same press conference Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said holiday home owners could potentially get away.
“If you don’t have to leave home, please don’t leave home,” Prof Sutton said.
“We certainly don’t want people going to communities and causing concern because they are not following the directives.
“But if they are going to an otherwise second home that they have booked for themselves, it is their ordinary residence and they’re not mixing with new groups of people, then that risk is manageable and acceptable,” he said.
Prof Sutton said new holiday bookings were not allowed.
He said communities in regional Victoria had a right to not be potentially exposed to imported cases.
“I hope people also do the right thing over the Easter period. We are saying that you need to stay at home,” Prof Sutton said.
“Those public- health directives still apply through the Easter period.”
“We don’t want people going into communities and causing concern because they are not following directives that are being made out.
“If they are on the street, engaging with activities in close proximity to other people and they are seen by the host communities to do that, they will rightly be pointed out and I think
they would be unwelcome if they are doing that.
“But if they are going to an otherwise second home that they have booked for themselves, it is their ordinary residence and they are not mixing with new groups of people, then that risk is manageable and acceptable.”
Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton confirmed that anyone travelling to their holiday homes won’t be fined.
Prof Sutton’s comments came as a wine bar in Melbourne’s northeast was linked to at least five cases of coronavirus.
Eaglemont Cellars and Wine Bar told patrons a birthday party on March 14 had been linked to positive diagnoses. Guests had come from overseas to attend the party.
The wine bar also held a St Patrick’s Day event on March 17, before venue restrictions were in place. The wine bar is now closed.
VIC DEATH TOLL GROWS
Two more Victorians have died overnight, bringing the state’s total number of coronavirus deaths to 10.
A woman, aged in her 80s, died at home on Sunday, while a man in his 50s died in hospital.
23 new cases brings the state’s total to 1158, while the number of community transmissions has risen to 88.
45 Victorians are in hospital with coronavirus, including 11 in intensive care.
630 people have recovered from the virus, and more than 57,000 Victorians have been tested.
Of the 1158 cases, 608 are in men and 550 in women, with ages ranging from babies to early 90s.
940 cases have been recorded in metropolitan Melbourne, and 212 in regional Victoria.
Thousands of Victorians will die if the state government relaxes its tough social distancing measures, the chief health officer has warned.
Professor Brett Sutton said today Victoria was tracking well because of strict regulations put in place by the Andrews government.
But he warned that didn’t mean it was time to relax stay at home directions despite another decline in the number of new COVID-19 cases across the state.
“I am crossing my fingers that it continues to decline … but it will be a long journey,” he said.
“We’ve only really had the significant physical distancing measures in place for about a week.
“The really significant measures, they haven’t been in place for that long.”
Prof Sutton said it would take about two weeks before a proper trend could be realised.
He said it was still imperative Victorians followed directions to stay at home particularly with the upcoming Easter weekend.
CORONAVIRUS TESTING EXPANDS
Teachers, firefighters and people over the age of 65 will now be tested for coronavirus if they display a fever or respiratory problems, the state’s chief health officer has announced.
Professor Brett Sutton said expanding testing criteria is logical given the uptick in community transmissions.
“The number of community acquired cases contracted from an unknown source are continuing to rise – the expansion of the testing criteria will allow us to get a clearer picture of how much the virus is circulating,” he said.
“These new criteria do not mean our stage 3 restrictions should be relaxed. The reverse is true, we must continue these actions to flatten the curve.”
Prof Sutton said the expanding testing would help identify chains of transmission in the community.
“We are increasingly going to focus on potential committee transmission in those who haven’t travelled internationally or are close contacts of known cases,” he said.
“That is really important to get a proper understanding of how much community transmission there might be.
“In one way or another everyone is going to be linked to international travel, but we are talking about chains of transmission in the community where people won’t necessarily understand they are at risk of infection.”
NORTHERN HOTSPOT BEARS BRUNT OF NEW VIRUS CASES
14-DAY QUARANTINE ESSENTIAL, CHIEF HEALTH OFFICER SAYS
Victorians exposed to coronavirus should self-isolate for the full 14-day period, irrespective of a lack of symptoms.
Prof Sutton said the virus can take up to 14 days to incubate, and those exposed may return a negative test before symptoms develop.
“You are in an incubation period and you might develop illness in that 14 days from being exposed,” he said.
“If you are home for those 14 days, getting a negative test when you haven’t got symptoms and thinking you can return to work is not the way to go.
“You need to do that 14 day period to make sure you haven’t developed illness in that 14 days.
“If at the end of those 14 days you haven’t got symptoms, you are right to go back to work.”
There are 88 cases that may indicate community transmission. 45 people are in hospital, inc 11 in ICU. 620 people have recovered & > 57,000 Victorians have been tested. Our message is clear: Stay. At. Home. #springst 2/2
— Jenny Mikakos MP #StayHomeSaveLives (@JennyMikakos) April 6, 2020
LEARNER DRIVER STUNG WITH ‘NON-ESSENTIAL TRAVEL' FINE
Police will review a $1600 fine handed to a teenage learner driver supervised by her mum in Melbourne’s southeast on the weekend.
Sharee Reynolds was supervising her daughter, Hunter, as she drove from their Hampton home to Frankston when they were pulled over by police and fined for “non-essential travel” under COVID-19 restrictions.
Mrs Reynolds told 3AW: “We didn’t think for one minute that we would be doing anything wrong. We weren’t in contact with any person, we weren’t stopping anywhere.”
“She [the police officer] said we were too far from home and we would cop a fine, and that Hunter would be the person to receive that fine.”
The fine has sparked community furore, prompting police to launch a review.
YEAR 13? VCE UP IN THE AIR
Victorian students could be forced to repeat the year of school they are currently in, under a worst-case scenario the Morrison Government is desperately trying to avoid.
Senior state and federal government officials are working with teachers’ unions to work out a plan for comprehensive distance learning, without which a year 13 would be created.
President of the Victorian Association of State Secondary Principals, Sue Bell, said that the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority were discussing contingency plans, but schools were in need of some certainty.
“What we need for year 12s is some sort of certainty … Even if that certainty changes down the road," she told 3AW.
“Schools want to know what [the VCAA’s] plans are and when those trigger points kick in.
“Whether it’s moving exams back, not doing internal assessments … I’m pretty sure we’ll be able to deliver something earlier than [pushing assessments into next year].
— Tamsin Rose
108 FINES ISSUED IN PAST 24 HOURS, PSOs REASSIGNED
Police sprung more than 100 people and businesses disobeying coronavirus restrictions on Sunday.
Officers conducted 983 spot checks at homes, businesses and non-essential services over the past 24 hours.
A total of 108 fines were issued.
Have you been fined for ‘non-essential’ travel? Email aneeka.simonis@news.com.au
From Thursday, 83 train stations will have two PSOs at night and 5 mobile teams at night, but the remaining officers will go into a new team to help police.
PSOs will be helping police with compliance, foot patrols, as well as commercial burglary which has risen in recent weeks.
While PSOs do not currently have the power to issue fines for failure to adhere to social distancing rules by the time they are deployed they should have that power.
Premises are largely abandoned at the moment and this is preventive measure to protect those businesses, and those still working
THE CURVE IS FLATTENING, CHIEF HEALTH OFFICER SAYS
Victoria’s chief health officer declared the “curve is flattening” and the state was on track to beat the deadly coronavirus as the number of new cases dramatically dropped yesterday.
Premier Daniel Andrews hailed “significant success” in the fight against the virus and said strict social distancing measures were helping to turn the tide.
Victoria’s Chief Medical Officer, Brett Sutton, said he hoped Australia could avoid the fate of the US and Europe, where the virus has killed thousands.
“We are starting to see the outcomes of people doing the right thing,” Dr Sutton said.
“For the first time I have a little optimism that we can actually beat this and take a different course to most of Europe and North America.
“We are seeing the beginnings that we can take a different course.”
But Victorians have been warned not to become complacent and that “keeping the numbers low” was the best way to avoid stage 4 restrictions.
Mr Andrews congratulated Victorians for helping to slow the spread of the virus.
He urged people to continue to stay at home and comply with social-distancing measures.
“We have had significant success but there is still a long way to go,” he said.
“If you look at other parts of the world you see what failure looks like when you have rapid transmission of the virus and the health system cannot cope.”
VICTORIAN ALLEGEDLY BROKE OUT OF PERTH QUARANTINE
An Victorian traveller holed up in a hotel in Perth under strict quarantine laws has been arrested and charged after he allegedly flouted self-isolation rules and escaped the hotel on a number of occasions.
According to police the 35-year-old wedged open a fire exit door at the hotel to leave without being seen by staff before allegedly getting on public transport around Perth.
He was arrested and charged with two counts of failing to comply today and had bail refused on the grounds that it is feared he would continue to be the health others at risk.
He arrived in WA from Victoria on March 28 and ordered under the Emergency Management Act to self quarantine for the mandated 14 days — which would have seen him confined to his hotel room until April 13.
He remains in custody due to the perceived threat of repeat offending and will face court at a later date.
– Caitlyn Rinoul
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MELBOURNE COUPLE’S CRY FOR HELP AT VIRUS EPICENTRE
A Melbourne couple living in New York have both contracted coronavirus-induced pneumonia but were not admitted to hospital because the city’s healthcare system has been overrun.
Emma Shrapnel Jennings, 33 and her husband Tommy Jennings, 35, were diagnosed last week with life-threatening double lung pneumonia.
They said the doctor confirmed it was caused by the virus but they were told to recover at home and were unable to take a COVID-19 test because the limited supply was reserved for the elderly, people who had recently travelled overseas or healthcare workers.
Ms Shrapnel Jennings said she and her husband had both experienced shortness of breath, fever, body aches and were coughing up blood.
But fortunately they have started to feel better in the past few days.
“We are lucky enough to have our age and health on our side, and after some intense antibiotics we seem to be on the mend,” she said.
Ms Shrapnel Jones said she wanted to share their story to highlight how fast the virus was spreading and its serious health impacts.
“Three weeks ago we thought this was a rare illness and just impacted the elderly or immunocompromised. Now here we are two healthy adults who have gotten seriously ill from this horrible disease. My advice is to take this seriously. Stay home, practice social distancing. It could happen to you.”
The pair moved to Brooklyn in New York City in 2018 for job opportunities; she works as a business analyst and her husband works as a customer service representative.
She said they loved the city but it was getting harder to stay positive as the crisis deepens.
One of the biggest issues was the lack of testing, she said.
“The actual number of cases in the city is so much higher than being reported because there aren’t enough tests to go around,” she said.
“It’s surreal. The entire situation is escalating every day. But this experience has brought out the best in people. We have had so much help and concern from friends and family.”
More than 56,000 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in New York City so far and 1,867 people have died.
— Josh Fagan
NEW COVID-19 TREATMENT HOPES AS DEATH TOLL CLIMBS
A blood-thinning drug which is already in use for heart attack and stroke victims, could reduce the number of deaths from COVID-19 and the demand for ventilators.
A new research paper has argued for clinical trials of the drug, which contains a protein called tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) which is ordinarily used to break up blood clots, on COVID-19 patients who are in acute respiratory distress.
The trials are based on emerging data from other countries that the COVID-19 patents have a profound disorder of blood clotting that is contributing to their respiratory failure even when they are on ventilators.
Read more on this story here.
STUDENT NURSES STEP UP FOR VIRUS PEAK
Student nurses are being drafted into hospitals before they graduate to ease the pressure on Victoria’s health workforce during the COVID-19 peak.
More than one thousand second and third year nursing students may be asked to take on part time roles in the state’s hospitals supporting qualified registered nurses in the collecting and interpretation of healthcare data, as well as gaining social, economic and psychological information from patients.
A program established four years ago called the Registered Undergraduate Students of Nursing – or RUSON – allowed select Monash and Deakin University nursing students to work in limited capacities.
But with the coronavirus pandemic set to stretch the health system beyond its current capabilities, the head of Monash Nursing and Midwifery Prof Debra Griffiths said the RUSON program was being prepared to greatly increase the number of students available.
“I know a couple of health services we have a couple of dozen RUSONs at – now they are wanting a couple of hundred,” Prof Griffiths said.
“There is a lot of stress on the health service workers, the professionals already there, we are getting a sense that the anxiety levels are really grazing up.
“We haven’t hit the peak of this year. The priority for us is making sure our students are safe and that they still get their clinical placements.
“Many of them are a bit nervous. They have families and people at home who might be older grandparents.”
Monash has about 1000 second and third year nursing students who could be drafted under RUSON, while a similar number would be available from Deakin.
While some in the student workforce may be dealing directly with COVID-19 patients, others will work more in support roles depending on their training and the needs of individual health services who employ them.
Prof Griffiths said it was important RUSON shifts did not clash with the students’ normal course placements which were required so they can graduate as soon as possible and provide greater relief to the strained workforce.
Read more on this story here .
— Grant McArthur
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AUSTRALIA’S BORDERS COULD BE SHUT FOR A YEAR
Australia could remain closed to international visitors for more than a year even if domestic restrictions are lifted across the country in coming months.
With the coronavirus running rampant across much of North America, Europe and Asia, the federal government is considering keeping the borders closed well after social distancing rules are eventually relaxed.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has repeatedly insisted such measures to keep Australians in their homes may be in place for six months.
But the borders are unlikely to be opened when the domestic measures are eventually tapered off, with the federal government looking at using Australia’s position as an island to prevent further outbreaks.
An inability to trust the case and death figures coming out of other countries means Australia could even be forced to keep out foreigners until a vaccine or treatment has been created.
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LOCKDOWN LEADS TO CYCLING SPIKE
Bike paths are filling up with record numbers of riders as more people in Melbourne turn to cycling as a socially-distant way to move around the city.
A new Bicycle Network study of more than 1000 Australians has revealed a massive surge in the frequency and number of people using their bikes to move around in response to COVID-19.
Nearly three quarters of those surveyed said they would use their bike more or continue to go for regular rides while current restrictions were in place.
Bicycle Network chief executive Craig Richards said cycling was a simple solution to a complicated problem.
“Current restrictions say we need to limit the number of times we leave home, but we also need to get exercise and do the shopping,” he said.
“With a bike you can do both at once while also limiting contact with other people which will help us flatten the curve so we can get back to our normal lives as quickly as possible.”
— Kieran Rooney
