I have caught COVID-19, its not "mild"

I recently caught COVID-19, here is a log of how this has unfolded. I am triplex vaxxed - 2 Astrazeneca and one Pfizer.

Sun 27 March 2022: Midnight Oil concert

I attended Midnight Oil's last ever concert in Melbourne. I am a long term fan. I wore a cloth mask some of the time. Lots of people were there, very few were wearing masks.  Three other friends who attended have not caught COVID.

Mon 28 March 2022: Slight throat tickle

I noticed a slight tickle in my throat but thought it was due to my singing at the concert

Tue 29 March 2022: Cough developed

The slight tickle became a dry cough, sneezing and some mucus discharge (like a cold)

Wed 30 March 2022: Negative RAT

Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) have a negative test. I was thinking it was likely I just have a cold. Cough, sneezing persisting.  RAT results are NOT reliable.

Thu 31 March 2022: PCR test (day 1 iso)

I got a drive through PCR test with my daughter . Cough, sneezing persisting, throat getting a bit sore and a slight headache. No fever, aches or pains.

Fri 1 April 2022: COVID-19 positive (day 2 iso)

PCR positive test result notified by SMS, but my daughter was negative. 7 day isolation at home commenced

• Cough, sneezing persisting
• Throat getting very sore
• Headache persisting. 
• Coughing up some grey and yellow phlegm, its in my lungs but I don't have shortness of breath. 
• No fever, aches or pains (other than throat). Haven't checked sense of smell.  
• Temperature and breathing normal.

Downloaded the Melbourne Uni CovidCare app to track my symptoms and condition.

Staying in the master bedroom alone, isolated from my partner and daughter. Wearing an N95 mask when I occasionally leave the bedroom.

Sat 2 April 2022: Very sore throat, still coughing phlegm (day 3 iso)

• Got up during the night with a very sore throat to take some Disprin. Have also been taking some Nurofen occasionally to reduce symptoms.
• Nose still very runny, it hurts to cough. Throat very sore. Lots of phlegm in lungs
• Feeling cold, I normally sleep warm to hot.
• Temperature and breathing normal.

Still no fever, aches or pains (other than throat), loss of sense of smell or shortness of breath.

This disease it NOT mild. Its worse than a common cold. 

Sun 3 April 2022: Feeling groggy, throat feeling better, still coughing some phlegm (day 4 iso)

• Felt groggy yesterday. It's hard being restricted to some rooms in the house. I can't imagine what 10 years incarceration that refugees in Australia must be like.
• Took some Disprin and Nurofen during the day.
• Sore throat has improved, less coughing, but still some phlegm in my lungs.
• Feel cold in bed, usually I get too hot.  Still no fever.

Mon 4 April 2022: Still feeling groggy in the morning, feeling better (day 5 iso)

• Throat no longer sore
• Runny nose gone
• Some mucus phlegm but its reduced
• Reduced coughing, lungs feel OK
• Feeling warm now (after feeling colder than usual)
• Still no fever
• Temperature and breathing normal.

My partner and daughter are now have symptoms and have gone for a PCR test today.

Tue 5 April 2022: Feeling better (day 6 iso) but partner and daughter positive

• Reduced coughing, lungs feel OK, very little phlegm now
• Temperature and breathing normal

However, my partner and daughter both tested positive today.

My partner has a sore throat.

My daughter is lethargic, has lost her sense of taste and has a fever.

Wed 6 April 2022: Feeling OK (day 7 iso, last day)

• Still a slight tickle in my throat but otherwise good.
• Temperature and breathing normal

My partner had a very sore throat last night (similar to what I experienced)

My daughter is still feeling quite ill.

Thu 7 April 2022: Out of iso, feeling OK

• Still a slight tickle in my throat. Occasional cough.
• Temperature and breathing normal

Partner improving, isolating

Daughter still in the grip of it, isolating

Did some shopping, wore a mask.

Fri 8 April 2022: Bike ride, feeling OK

• Still a slight tickle in my throat. Very occasional cough.
• Bike ride into the city went well.  Lungs a bit sore when making an effort.

Partner improving, isolating

Daughter still in the grip of it, isolating

Tue 3 May 2022: Still some side effects.

I have felt almost back to normal, but there as some lingering issues:

• If I exercise hard and breath fast my lungs hurt - must be still some inflammation
• I get fatigued and need 2-3 hours sleep after exercise (stand up paddle board, bike rides etc.)
• I still get a dry cough some mornings for a short period.

Prevention is better than cure - its sensible to take steps to avoid catching COVID.

Links

• Advice on managing COVID from home visit www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/covidcare 
• For children, visit www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/fact_sheets/Coronavirus_COVID-19/
• Call 000 if you have difficulty breathing or chest pain. 
• Call 000 if your child is struggling to breathe, looks very sick and becomes pale and drowsy or lips are blue in colour.
• For more languages: www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/translations or call 1300 651 160 for an interpreter

COVID vaccine saves lives - maybe yours

 On 14 April 2021 in Victoria the COVID-19 update reported:

• 11 people died yesterday
• 706 people are in hospital
• 147 people in ICU
• 100 people are on a ventilator

• 98% of people with #COVID19 in ICU in Victoria are not vaccinated 
• 90% of people with #COVID19 in hospital in Victoria are not fully vaccinated
• 90 % of people with new positive COVD-19 cases were not vaccinated

COVID-19 is ten times more deadly than the flu

If you haven't been vaccinated yet please consider doing so - it may save your life 

Australian federal election 2022 - consider who you vote for

The next federal election in Australia is approaching. The date is not set - it will be called at the discretion of Scott Morrison, the incumbent Prime Minister and leader of the Liberal - National Party Coalition government. He will do this when he thinks he has the best chance of winning.

When will the election be held?

The first date for a normal house and half-Senate election was 7 August 2021 but that date has passed.

The last date for a normal house and half-Senate election is 21 May 2022. This date gives six weeks to complete the complex Senate count and allows Senators to be declared elected and start their terms on 1 July 2022. A mid-May election would be announced in early April 2022.

See: When can the Next Federal Election be Held? – Antony Green's Election Blog

Possible election dates are:

2022: February 26, March 5, 12, 19, 26 (with SA election moved), April 2, 9, May 21 as earlier dates overlap Easter and Anzac day

It is now likely the election will be in either March, April or May 2022

Morrison Government election campaign strategy

Strengths - issues they will attempt to campaign on.

• "Morrison the saviour" - leading Australia out of COVID-19 lockdowns, chastising the Labor states (VIC, QLD, WA) for "causing harm by draconian lockdowns".   See this thread from @aarondodd for more information.

• "Sound economic management" - providing financial measures to get Australia through the finanicial impacts of lockdown.

• Coal votes - keep promoting coal for "baseload power" and the importance of jobs associated with coal mining and profits from coal exports

• Border security - keep refugees detained in offshore gulags to "deter refugees arriving by boats"

• Defence and national security - publicly criticise China about the origins of COVID, human rights, occupation of islands in South China Sea. Keep speculating about possible war with China. Strengthen alliance and "military cooperation" with the United States, Indonesia and India.

Also read Great Scott: the grand narrative of Scott Morrison

Attacks - on other parties and candidates.

• "Labor are incompetent" - Labor is held hostage by Unions and will wreck the economy
• "Independents are stooges" - for other political parties
• "Greens are dangerous radicals" - with extreme left policies that will ruin Australia

Weaknesses - they will attempt to protect against

• Climate change - The Morrison government has set no long term or short term targets for reducing carbon emissions. They claim that "technology solutions" will be effective but there is no evidence that they will. They are still spending money on implausible "carbon capture and storage" projects.

• Great Barrier Reef - in peril from climate change, but the LNP successfully lobbied to stop the reef being listed as "endangered" by UNESCO

• COVID-19 responses 
• Vaccine delays: Failure to get enough appropriate vaccines in time and severe delays in getting the population vaccinated. Orders for Pfizer vaccines delayed for 6 months
• Vaccine politics: Reallocating Pfizer from Labor states to Sydney
• Vaccination campaign: Very poor public campaigns to encourage vaccination
• No quarantines: No provision of safe quarantine facilities - a Federal government responsibility
• Aged care deaths: 700+ deaths in federally regulated aged care homes from COVID-19, and no COVID-19 management plan for them
• Stranded Aussies: Morrison's failure to get home 40,000+ Australians stranded overseas for 18+ months

• Corruption - sport rorts, car park rorts, Great Barrier Reef foundation donation, electoral donations from fossil fuel companies [link]

• Treatment of women and sexual violence
• no action taken on alleged rape of Brittany Higgins in parliament building on 22 March 2019
• Morrison says he was not informed of the alleged rape until 15 February 2021. The Gaetjens inquiry about who in the Prime Minister's Office knew what and when has not been completed and will not be releases (its a cover up).
• Morrison Govt voted against 49 of the 55 recommendations made in the landmark Respect@Work report
• Morrison Govt held  "Women's Safety Summit" in early September 2021 which was a talkfest to "hear from women" - but not enact any new legislation.

Murdoch's Newscorp

 The Murdoch press provide propaganda to support the Morrison government.

Independents are making a stand

Several independent community-based grass roots candidates are running on platform of climate action, integrity and better treatment of women. Candidates include:

• Dr Monique Ryan, Kooyong 
• Zoe Daniel, Goldstein
• Aleggra Spender, Wentworth
• Dr Sophie Scamps, Mackeller
• Kylea Tink, North Sydney
• Zali Steggall, Warringah (re-contesting, won seat from Tony Abbott)

For a video see: The Project (@theprojecttv) December 20, 2021

Some things to consider when voting

• How has your local MP voted in parliament? Find out here: They Vote For You — How does your MP vote? 
• How do candidate's policies and statements align with your values?
• For candidates in political parties - how does their party's policies and statements align with your values
• What are candidate policies and statements on climate change, social justice, peace and environment, health, education and other things that matter to you?
• How have candidates contributed to public health response measures for COVID-19?
• The honesty, integrity, accountability and competence of each candidate.

This upcoming election will have a huge impact on Australia's and the world's future. Use your vote wisely.

Links

• As Scott Morrison feels the heat, Labor and Anthony Albanese must swing into gear 
• Morrison is gearing up for an election based on "freedom". Thread by @AaronDodd 
• Too late now, but ‘let it rip’ might prove tricky for Scott Morrison come election time, Hugh Riminton, The Guardian

COVID-19 Delta, vaccination and children

Some links on COVID-19 Delta and children    

• Indonesia’s Covid disaster: Delta variant killing 150 children a week – Channel 4 News 
• Is the delta variant more dangerous for children? A growing number of kids are very sick - NBC News 
• Australia should have seen the Delta COVID variant coming, but it has exposed our serious weakness - ABC News 
• Children with covid can get very ill, as I have seen in my hospital - The Washington Post 
• Coronavirus outbreak and kids - Harvard Health 
• How to protect children under 12 from Covid-19, according to Fauci - CNN 

Coronavirus is extremely infectious - a cautionary tale

This is an example of how incredibly infections the coranavirus that causes COVID-19 disease is.

A worker in a Dandenong factory contracted the disease at work, he commuted to a medium size town in Gippsland daily.  The infection spread to his teenage children before any symptoms were visible.

The children travelled to school on a school bus shared by three secondary schools in or near the town.

Students and teachers at all schools subequently tested positive for COVID-19 - the schools were then closed and deep cleaned, along with the buses.  

Contract tracing and isolation contained this outbreak that started from one person.

The virus can spread easily in a confined space with people - such as a bus, classroom, dinner party, family meal or church service - without anybody showing symptoms.  It can spread by aerosol (tiny droplets suspended in the air) and people just breathing that air.  Coughs and sneezes are not required to spread it (unlike the flu).

Lockdowns are vitally important to drive large case numbers and resultant deaths down.

Social distance and masks are vitally important to stop it spreading.

State and federal Liberal MPs continually attacking Dan Andrews and the public health response measures in Victoria are compromising efforts to contain the pandemic and putting lives at risk.  

This is not the time for petty politics.

Politically motivated attacks on the considerable efforts by contact tracing teams and health care workers in Victoria is causing them distress and also angering the Victorian community.

If Australia had similar public health response measures to the United States, United Kingdom and Sweden we would have over 12,500 more deaths.

See also

• Has Scott Morrison forgotten that he's Victoria's Prime Minister, too? Sean Carney, The Age 

Political attacks are compromising COVID-19 public health response measures in Victoria

Australia has been relatively successful so far in minimising COVID-19 infections and deaths compared with many other countries. Here are comparative stats to date:

Source: https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

Source: https://ourworldindata.org/

New Zealand has succeeded in eliminating COVID-19 community transmission at this point in time.

Australia was initially successful in suppressing, but not eliminating, the virus.  However, a significant outbreak occurred in Victoria around 24 June 2020, with daily cases still over 400 as at 8 July 2020. 

Reasons for this second outbreak include:

• Private security guards spreading COVID-19 from quarantined returned travellers to the community (an Inquiry is in place to investigate this)
• Outbreaks in some meat processing facilities.
• Outbreaks in aged care facilities - apparently partly due to lowly paid casual workers getting infected and moving between facilities.  Aged care is a federal government responsibility.

Significant interventions to reduce community transitions include:

• Lockdown of several suburbs with high community transmission
• Lockdown some community housing hotspots for 2 weeks
• Stage 3 Lockdown of Greater Melbourne and Mitchell council areas
• Stage 4 Lockdown of Greater Melbourne and Geelong Council areas and Stage 3 Lockdown of the rest of Victoria (current situation)

See Victoria's restriction levels for more information 

Premier Dan Andrews and Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton, along with selected government ministers and other senior public servants, provide daily updates on cases, deaths and public health measures.

Questions are asked by media representatives at these updates. Some choose to abuse this privilege by repeatedly asking the same question (e.g. about the failure to contain the virus in hotel quarantine) and they do this in an aggressive manner.  The main offender is Rachel Baxendale of the Murdoch owned Australian newspaper.

Wall of shame

These questions align with ongoing criticism of public health response measures (including lockdowns) and personal attacks on both Dan Andrews and Brett Sutton by current and former Liberal MPs. Here are the offenders:

• Scott Morrison (Prime Minister)
• Tim Smith (State MP, Kew)
• Georgie Crozer (State, Southern Metropolitan Region)
• Michael O'Brien (State, Opposition leader)
• Jeff Kennett (Former Premier)
• Tim Wilson (Federal, Goldstein)
• Josh Frydenberg (Federal Treasurer, Kooyong)
• Peter Dutton (Federal, QLD)
• Gladys Berejiklian (NSW Premier)
• David Davis (State, Southern Metropolitan Region)
• Katie Allen (Federal, Prahran)
• Sarah Henderson (Federal, Victorian Senator)
• Tony Abbott (ex Prime Minister)
• Greg Hunt (Federal, Flinders)
• Allan Tudge (Federal, Aston)
• Bridget Mackenzie (Federal, Victorian Senator)
• David Southwick (State, Caulfield)
• David Sharma (Federal, Wentworth)
• Edward O'Donohue (State, Eastern Victoria)
• David Van (Senator, Victoria)

Reactionary commentators also attacking Dan Andrews and public health response measures include:

• Andrew Bolt (Heraldsun, Murdoch owned)
• Ray Hadley (2GB radio in Sydney. owned by Nine Entertainment Co.)
• Alan Jones (Skynews, Murdoch owned)
• Rachel Baxendale (Heraldsun, Murdoch owned)
• Sophie Elsworth (Newscorp, Murdoch owned)
• Adam Creighton (Economics editor, The Australian, Murdoch owned)
• Rita Panahi (Opinion writer, Heraldsun, Murdoch owned)
• Alex White (news.com.au, Murdoch owned)
• Sophie Smith (independent sports journalist)
• Philip Coorey (Australian Financial Review)
• Chris Uhlmann (Nine News)
• Peta Credlin (Sky news, Murdoch owned)
• Joe Hildebrand (Daily Telegraph, Murdoch owned)
• Leigh Sales (7:30 Report, ABC). 

I am an emergency services volunteer. We don't start reviewing mistakes halfway through a job, we don't challenge the leadership, we get on with the job.  Afterwards there is a formal debrief. 

This "holding to account" nonsense by some journalists and self-serving members of parliament is a coordinated campaign to attack Dan Andrew's leadership for political gain.

In doing so they give out mixed messages that undermine public health response measures and the leadership required to deal with the incredibly infectious and sometimes lethal COVID-19 pandemic.

I call on the people named above to stop their coordinated campaign to tear down Dan Andrews that is putting Australians in harm's way. 

I also call on Scott Morrison to put a stop to this too.

Peter Dutton, the Minister for Everything except his own portfolio

Peter Dutton seems free and willing to comment on every part of government except his own - the mega Department of Home Affairs.

Peter Dutton (ABC News,: Jed Cooper)

Catastrophic bushfires season of 2019-20

Dutton was mostly silent during the catastrophic bushfires season of 2019-20 even though the federal body Emergency Management is now part of Home Affairs and their brief is to 

"lead the Australian Government disaster and emergency management response."

Dutton did make a false accusation that arsonists were to largely blame for the bushfires.

For the duration of the bushfires, Dutton was simply missing in action.

Early response to COVID-19 Pandemic response in Australia

Peter Dutton was also very quiet during the early response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

He did state that in response to people hoarding toilet paper that "We will come down like a tonne of bricks on those individuals because I think they’re the ones that have created this pattern of behaviour with hoarding and clearing shelves and normally sensible people have been wrapped in this because they’ve panicked when they’ve seen the shelves empty" 

On Friday 13 March it was announced the Peter Dutton had tested positive to COVID-19 after returning from the United States. He had met with other government ministers earlier in the week so there were concerns he may have spread the infection.

The Ruby Princess debacle

On 19 March the cruise ship Ruby Princess berthed in Sydney Harbour and thousands of passengers were allowed to disembark without any health checks or instructions to self-quarantine, despite the knowledge that people on the ship were ill with COVID-19 symptoms.

Australian Border Force, also under Home Affairs has responsibility at airports and seaports for: 

• "We protect Australia's border and enable legitimate travel and trade. 
• "We safeguard our border from people who seek to commit immigration fraud or threaten Australia's safety and security.
• "We use the Incoming Passenger Card as a declaration of person's entry into Australia, and to provide information on a person's health, character details and biosecurity information."

Yet the Ruby Princess passengers were allowed to disembark, apparently without any involvement from Border Force, or a decision within Border Force was made to allow them to.

The Ruby Princess cruise ship has been the epicentre of Australia’s COVID-19 outbreak, with 600 cases and 19 deaths recorded from passengers on board.

Dutton refuses to answer questions about this or to take any responsibility for the apparent errors made by Border Force. Instead he has attempted to shift blame to NSW Health and NSW Police.

The distractions

Since the Ruby Princess, Dutton has commented on various matters in other portfolios including:

• 16 April: Attacked the World Health Organisation (WHO) for recommending China's wet markets to reopen (Greg Hunt, Health Minister)
• 17 April; Demanding transparency from China on origins of COVID-19 outbreak (Marise Payne, Foreign Affairs Minister)
• 22 April: China's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic (Marise Payne, Foreign Affairs Minister)
• 22 April: Attacking China about COVID-19 origins (Marise Payne, Foreign Affairs Minister)
• 24 April: Attacking the Queensland State Government and teachers union about their approach to managing COVID-19 in schools (Dan Tehan, Education Minister)
• 24 April: Attacking banks for their lack of support to businesses waiting for wage subsidy payments (Josh Frydenberg, Treasurer)
• 30 April: The COVIDsafe app (Stuart Robert, Minister for Services)
• 1 May: Attacks Victorian Deputy Chief Health Officer over a personal tweet comparing impacts of COVID-19 & arrival of the First Fleet (Greg Hunt, Health Minister)

Peter Dutton weighs in regularly across multiple government portfolios, usually with a strong criticisms, yet he is seeminly unable to answer any questions about Home Affairs.

It is possible that all these attacks are distractions from his own responsibilities.  

Dutton's ambition to be Prime Minister might also be in play, he could be circling for a spill.

Dutton's aggressive stance on China, under the guise of a global #COVID19 investigation, has now started a trade war with China at a time Australia when we can least afford it.

The various ministers listed above should handle the matters they are responsible for and Dutton should focus on his day job.

Sweden has adopted in interesting approach to COVID-19

Sweden has adopted no lock-down and voluntary social distancing for COVID-19.

As at Friday 8 May 2020 11:00 AEST they have 24,623 reported cases and 3,040 deaths. They have less than half the population of Australia (6,900 cases, 97 deaths).

Sweden's daily cases of COVID-19 are not decreasing.

Sweden is conducting an interesting experiment. Not all Swedes agree.

It will be interesting to see in the long term how Sweden's death rate and economic impact compares with countries that have adopted a harder lock-down approach to COVID-19

Links

• I moved back to Sweden and am appalled by my country’s coronavirus response, Slate.com

Living through the COVID-19 pandemic and opportunities for a new and better future

Living through the COVID-19 pandemic 

The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has caused major disruption for life as we know it.  In no particular order:

Economies have slowed drastically due to restrictions on many businesses operating.

Many people have lost their jobs and are now unemployed.  Unemployment is reaching levels not seen since the 1930 depression.

Many shops cannot pay rents as they have no income while they are shut down.

Many housing tenants cannot pay rent as they have no income.

Governments have provided stimulatory spending including providing wage replacements to those who have been stood down by companies due to lack of work.  Some groups of people are not getting payments, including international students and casual workers who have been employed with a company for less than a year.

Social distancing to reduce the spread of infection has halted many social conventions including hugs, kisses and handshakes.

Social distancing has also been introduced in supermarkets and retail shops that remain open.

Panic buying has seen supplies of toilet paper and many food supplies depleted.

Many school and all university students are being schooled from home via the Internet.

People are walking and cycling in local parks either alone, with another person or with a family group from the same household.

People are heeding government advice to stay at home and avoid unnecessary travel.  The roads are very quiet.

Police are fining some people who break social distancing and other regulations imposed under a state of emergency.

Many people are working from home via the Internet.

The arts and music industries have ground to a halt with all public performances and exhibitions closed.

Sports are stopped and many sporting clubs and organisations are suffering cash flow problems. Some say they won't survive.

The stock market has suffered major losses with share prices falling [link]

Countries have closed their borders to most travel.

People on cruise ships have become marooned when no country will allow them to berth due to concerns about infection risk.

Air pollution has dropped along with automobile and industry emissions.

Families are spending time together with parents and children all at home during lockdowns.

People are cooking more - meals, bread, pastries, cakes etc.

Hand washing has become routine, along with disinfectant hand cleaner in some shops.

A National Cabinet has been formed to expedite decision making and align federal and state policies and actions for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Union leaders are talking to federal government ministers to develop appropriate support measures for companies and employees.

Companies with large debts and/or "just in time" manufacturing/retail models have been hit hard by the lockdowns imposed by governments.  Many, such as Virgin Australia, are in big trouble.  Some will fail.

Opportunities for a new and better future

Individuals, societies and governments can change how things are done when they want or need to.

We can pay a universal basic income to people who are unemployed.

Governments can build infrastructure that generates employment and benefits people including:

• High quality bike paths, free from traffic
• High speed rail links between cities
• More public transport to give people the option for convenient and sustainable travel

Provide a universal public health system that delivers health services for all citizens and provides economies of scale.

Provide more government funding for research and development into various sectors including:

• Public health and disease prevention
• Renewable energy and energy storage solutions
• Rebuilding centralised electricity grids to support micro-grids, distributed storage and distribution of renewable energy

Impose a travel tax on all car and truck travel.

• Car users and trucks don't directly pay for roads so many people feel they are free to use.  However, increased road usage creates more demands for roads, creating a vicious cycle.

Support work from home as an ongoing arrangement

• Less travel would free up a lot of time for many people
• People could work from home, possibly on a roster system, for 1 to 5 days per week

Price air travel appropriately.

• Excessive air travel is a luxury the planet cannot afford.  It should be priced to cover greenhouse gas emissions, leading to reductions in non-essential trips.
• Local holidays are a more sustainable option

Protect forests and plant trees

• Forest provide natural resources and are "services" such as producing water and drawing down CO2.  They also provide habitat for animals and plants and support biodiversity
• Cease logging of native forests  
• Plant trees on degraded farm land and public land to generate employment and increase the world's forest cover.

Transition to renewable energy

• Develop are roadmap to transition to 100% renewable energy by 2030 and transition off fossil fuels including oil, gas and coal.
• Generate employment in manufacturing and services for renewable energy

Make all elected MPs part of government

• Reform politics and government so that all elected MPs have a role to play
• Ditch political parties and "the opposition"

Feel free to add any suggestions in the comments.

COVID-19 and novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 information and links

Some information I have collected about COVID-19 follows.

Terminology

• COVIDー19 is a disease (now pandemic), an illness caused by a coronavirus
• SARSーCoVー2 is a novel coronavirus (type of virus) that causes COVID-19
• Isolation is for sick people with symptoms
• Quarantine is for people who are at risk of infection.

Australian government advice and information

• Coronavirus COVID-19 daily update - DHHS Victoria 
• 2019 Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) - health.vic 
• About coronavirus (COVID-19) - Department of Health and Human Services Victoria 
• Coronavirus (COVID-19) current situation and case numbers, Australian Govt. Dept of Health.
• Information for international travellers and PDF, Australian Government Department of Health
• Guidance for home/personal isolation (PDF), Australian Government Department of Health
• Modelling the current impact of COVID-19 in Australia 

COVID-19 disease

• COVIDー19 is is not the flu, it is 3-4 times more contagious and has much higher mortality rate that is likely to be between 0.5% to 6%. 
• A vaccine could be 12-18 months away 
• Among the over 3,700 passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise liner who tested positive for COVID-19, more than 46% were not showing symptoms at the time they were tested.
• Asymptomatic infection is common in children, occurring in 10-30% of cases.

Current Advice in Australia as at 4 April 2020

• If you can stay home, you must stay home.
• Non-essential travel is restricted across Australia
• All recreational activities beyond basic exercise are not allowed.  This includes fishing, hunting, boating, camping and golf.

Basic protective measures

• Wash your hands frequently - Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water.
• Maintain social distancing - maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing. When self isolating people should maintain social distancing from other family members within households.
• Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth - hands touch many surfaces and can pick up viruses. Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth. From there, the virus can enter your body and can make you sick.
• Practice respiratory hygiene - make sure you, and the people around you, follow good respiratory hygiene. This means covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately.
• Seek medical care early if you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing - If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention and call in advance. Follow the directions of your local health authority.

Some questions about COVID-19

Should schools be kept open during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Does everyone who recovers from infection develop immunity?  There are reports of some people developing the disease again after recovering.

Will a vaccine for COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 ) be developed?  The common cold is also a coronavirus, there is no vaccine for it.  There is no vaccine for SARS (SARS-CoV virus) or MERS ( MERS-CoV) [link]

Why is COVID-19 so infectious?

• Infected people can spread the virus while they show no symptoms
• The virus can be spread on tiny droplets from coughing.
• The virus can be spread by touching contaminated surfaces then touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

How long can COVID-19 persist on surfaces? Reports indicate that the time it survives depends on the type of surface. Under experimental conditions the virus remained viable:

• in air - for  three hours
• on copper surface for four hours
• on cardboard surface after 24 hours.
• on stainless steel and plastic surfaces - up to 72 hours

Why do up to half of people infected by COVID-19 show no symptoms? (asymptomatic)

Why is COVID-19 fatal for some people? 

• The virus has caused severe respiratory disease in about 20 per cent of patients and killed more than 3 per cent of confirmed cases [link].
• Older people, whose immune defences have declined with age are more susceptible
• People with underlying health conditions (comorbidities) including hypertension, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes and cancer are much more vulnerable [link]
• Some infected healthy people have an immune overreaction, known as a 'cytokine storm', that can cause acute respiratory distress, which means less oxygen reaches the bloodstream - depriving organs of the oxygen they need.

What is the incubation period for COVID-19?

• The median incubation period for COVID-19 is just over 5 days and 97.5% of people who develop symptoms will do so within 11.5 days of infection [link]
• People may be infectious when they display no symptoms - this is under investigation.

Is COVID-19 like AIDS?

• Researchers in China and the US have found that the virus that causes Covid-19 can destroy the T cells that are supposed to protect the body from harmful invaders
• One doctor said concern is growing in medical circles that effect could be similar to HIV [link]

Links

• Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for public -WHO 
• Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Australia (data)
• COVID-19 Map - Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center 
• Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) – Statistics and Research - Our World in Data 
• Coronavirus tracked: the latest figures as the pandemic spreads - Financial Times 
• BSI open letter to Government on SARS-CoV-2 outbreak response | British Society for Immunology 
• COVID-19 can last a few days on surfaces, according to new experiment findings - ABC News 
• Infected people without symptoms might be driving the spread of coronavirus more than we realized - CNN 
• What we know and don't about asymptomatic transmission and coronavirus - ABC News 
• New Zealand modelling gives insight into Australian virus numbers - The Canberra Times
• Busting the myths about COVID-19 herd immunity, children and Lives vs Jobs - NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence