Rita Panahi: Andrews’ testing numbers game stacks the odds against us
Premier Daniel Andrews said he fears he may be unable to re-open the state because the coronavirus testing numbers “are too low”. Once again he is seeking to blame the public and turn Victorians against each other to distract from his government’s failures, writes Rita Panahi.
Rita Panahi
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Dan Andrews is threatening to extend the ruinous stage four lockdown because silly Victorians just aren’t being tested in adequate numbers.
The Premier said he fears that the drop in positive cases could be due to significantly fewer tests being performed and that he may be unable to re-open the state “because the test numbers are too low for us to have clarity about just how much virus is out there.”
It would also be nice to have some clarity from Andrews and Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton on what numbers Victoria needs to record for restrictions to be eased.
And, instead of scolding Victorians, perhaps the Premier should have a word to many of the testing facilities that are turning people away because they are not sick enough to be tested.
Some staff at testing centres have even advised people to fake symptoms so they can be tested. I know of several such cases at multiple centres.
Surely given the state’s ample testing capacity, every single individual who presents for a test should have one, particularly if they have been in contact with someone who has the virus. And, it’d be useful to test not just for COVID-19 but also for the antibodies to determine how many people have already been infected.
After all, we know the overwhelming majority of those infected with coronavirus have very mild symptoms or none at all. The World Health Organisation puts the number of asymptomatic and mild cases at 80 per cent. Many of us could’ve been infected without ever knowing and yet antibody tests are not routinely done.
One study using antibody tests conducted by Indiana University found that the real number of those infected was 11 times higher than previously thought.
Victorians deserve to know precisely the numbers the Premier and CHO need to see for the lockdown, one of the harshest seen anywhere in the world, to be lifted.
Andrews is again seeking to blame the public as he has done consistently throughout this crisis. It’s a strategy that has worked beautifully in turning Victorians against each other and distracting from his government’s failures.
Who can forget the Premier accusing almost a third of Victorians of flouting self-isolation rules? However, it turns out that the real figure wasn’t 27 per cent but closer to 1 per cent, according to Victoria Police data released this week. The remainder of cases had the wrong address listed or had a legitimate reason for not being home.
Andrews is not alone in adopting divisive tactics to dodge responsibility and curry favour with rusted-on supporters. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is using the crisis to whip up hysteria.
She has threatened to close the state’s borders — even to NSW, large swathes of which is virus-free — until Christmas and perhaps beyond. That spells disaster for many including Queensland’s tourism operators, hotels and hospitality venues.
Border closures have also seen mothers separated from their sick newborns who were transferred from NSW border towns to Queensland hospitals for emergency care.
Shockingly, it’s also led to children with serious health issues being denied medical care including double-lung transplant patient Sean Rice who has missed a critical appointment with his specialist due to the border closure.
In another case, a patient with serious burns was not taken to Brisbane from Grafton and had to travel twice the distance to Sydney for emergency care. Is this what we’ve been reduced to as a country?
Palaszczuk appeared unmoved by the plight of people in border towns saying: “People living in New South Wales, they have NSW hospitals, in Queensland, we have Queensland hospitals for our people.” Really, Premier? I thought we were all Australians and in this together. The Medicare levy Australians pay funds Queensland’s health system. Being stupidly parochial is great during the state of origin but not when dealing with a health crisis.
Talking about football, Queensland’s border closures will also see the AFL having to make some difficult decisions.
If the Grand Final is shifted to Brisbane, as has been widely speculated, then the AFL hierarchy should stand in solidarity with fans and only attend the game if interstate supporters are allowed entry.
It’s been more than 50 years since St Kilda fans have seen a premiership — if this is their year and they’re willing to pay for two weeks of hotel quarantine, then they should be allowed to attend the game.
The plight of footy fans is a triviality compared to the suffering we’re seeing due to COVID-19 restrictions and border closures but for the AFL it should be a matter of principle.
Gill McLachlan and the rest of the ALF Commission plus the league’s top executives should not side-step restrictions that ordinary Victorians must abide by.
IN SHORT: Democrats are again wheeling out the celebs during their national convention from Eva Longoria to Billie Eilish. If celebrity endorsements mattered, Hillary Clinton would have won every state in 2016. Most people resent hopelessly out-of-touch celebrity hypocrites telling them who to vote for.
Rita Panahi is a Herald Sun columnist