Victoria coronavirus: Experts raise concerns over three virus leaks in one week

As the world’s eyes turn to Victoria this month, there are grave concerns over the state’s ability to stop another coronavirus outbreak.

Victorians are well aware of the pain caused by leaks in hotel quarantine but despite reforms being made since the outbreak that sparked the state’s second wave, alarm bells are beginning to ring again.

They’ve rung out three times over the past week alone, as the world’s eyes turn on Melbourne for the Australian Open, after two workers and a traveller were infected in the city’s hotels.

Two of those cases have been confirmed as being the highly contagious UK strain and it’s a painful reminder of the risk involved in bringing in travellers from around the world.

Now experts have expressed grave concerns over the system — with one of the nation’s leading epidemiologists saying it’s clear Victoria’s quarantine hotels are not fit for purpose.

“They were not designed for this, and were only chosen because of the need to act fast,” the University of South Australia’s Adrian Esterman told the Herald Sun after the latest breaches in the system.

There have been three leaks from the system in the past week. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

Prof Esterman, along with Professor of Epidemiology at UNSW Mary-Louise McLaws, previously told news.com.au he would advocate for a remote quarantine system, instead of bring all out arrivals into our densely populated cities.

GP and former president of the Australian Medical Association Dr Tony Bartone said the leaks were “of concern”.

“We know that the quarantine system was never going to be 100 per cent foolproof but clearly three events over the last week or so have drawn attention to what is currently in play,” Dr Bartone told Today.

“We know the virus is much more transmissible but the counterbalance is, each time it’s gotten out, there have been no cases in the community … we’ve got to wait and see on this one.

“But that does point to the fact that there is still a lot more that we need to learn about this current strain and how it’s progressing.

“Certainly, it raises the spotlight on the ventilation systems in the hotel. Are they all fit for purpose and, of course, the occupational physicians doing their testing at the moment is a very timely next step.”

Of course, this problem is not exclusive to Victoria — with NSW seeing a number of leaks in its system, and breaches in South Australia, Queensland and Western Australia in recent months.

The nationwide leaks have renewed calls to send returning travellers to remote and regional areas, but both state and federal governments have argue against this.

Victoria is not the only state to suffer hotel quarantine leaks. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty

They say arrivals need to be close to major medical facilities and that a remote system would dramatically reduce capacity.

Prof Esterman said there would be some difficulties in setting up a new remote system such as transport, logistics and cost — but that it would be worth it all to avoid the pain of another lockdown.

“I believe that the ADF could take care of most of this – they have experience in logistics, security, and disaster response, and could even supply catering and health staff,” he told news.com.au.

“Since some of the returnees might have health issues (other than COVID-19), there would have to be a health centre available, and if necessary, the ability to medevac people to a major hospital.

“Setting up these centres would not be cheap, but it would still be nowhere near as expensive as the cost of yet another lockdown.”

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Professor of Epidemiology at UNSW Mary-Louise McLaws told news.com.au the system we have now makes “little sense” and should have only been a temporary solution.

“Placing quarantining of high numbers of cases in highly populated cities places too great a risk for seeding the community with infection through the staff,” she said.

Authorities in Victoria issued a warning just before midnight on Sunday, after a hotel quarantine worker at the Holiday Inn at Melbourne Airport tested positive to COVID-19.

At the end of her shift on February 4, the woman returned a negative result.

She then returned to work on February 7 and later developed symptoms. A test revealed she had contracted COVID-19.

There is no indication she breached any protocol, but her positive test result has forced another 80 quarantine staff, nine police officers and 12 ADF personnel into isolation.

“The individual is being interviewed and a full public health response is underway,” Victoria’s Health Department said.

“We are contacting Holiday Inn Airport workers and others who are considered primary close contacts. They are required to immediately isolate, get tested and remain isolated for 14 days.”

A 26-year-old resident support officer who worked inside the Grand Hyatt also tested positive to the virus last Wednesday.