SARS CoV-2 coronavirus / Covid-19 (No tin foil hat silliness please)

Large parts of Western Australia have gone into a 5 day hard lockdown after the first case of community transmission in 10 months. A quarantine worker has tested positive (probably with the UK variant).

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.9news.com.au/article/c1393ff5-bc29-492b-b4de-61eb4e4065bb
I wonder if its in any way linked to our recent 3 case community outbreak. I dont know if Perth is accepting flights from NZ or if there has been a connecting flight from Brisbane to Perth. Will be interesting to see where the origin is from.
 
Perth and basically all of Western Australia has been put into a 5 day COVID full lockdown because a hotel quarantine worker caught the UK strain from a returning traveler.

People cannot travel between the WA regions and police checkpoints will be set up everywhere.

If people are to leave their house for ANY reason at all, mandatory masks in effect.

https://www.watoday.com.au/national...sts-positive-to-covid-19-20210131-p56y8a.html

looks like i will be WFH tomorrow.
 
Last edited:
I wonder if its in any way linked to our recent 3 case community outbreak. I dont know if Perth is accepting flights from NZ or if there has been a connecting flight from Brisbane to Perth. Will be interesting to see where the origin is from.

I suspect it was a direct import from the UK. Last time I looked it hadn't been confirmed as the UK variant but the variant was in the hotel in question. The worry is that he was a guard so had no direct contact with infected guests. He also lives in a share house with others in their 20's,
so as a network could potentially have spread it far and wide. He is also an UBER driver although it isn't clear how many shifts he has done, if any, when infectious.

Fingers crossed the 5 day hard lockdown from 6pm today is enough. If not I hope WA's contact tracing is up to the task as they haven't had the experience, and thus developed the expertise, of NSW and now Victoria.
 
Perth and basically all of Western Australia has been put into a 5 day COVID full lockdown because a hotel quarantine worker caught the UK strain from a returning traveler.

People cannot travel between the WA regions and police checkpoints will be set up everywhere.

If people are to leave their house for ANY reason at all, mandatory masks in effect.

https://www.watoday.com.au/national...sts-positive-to-covid-19-20210131-p56y8a.html

looks like i will be WFH tomorrow.

Hopefully 5 days will be enough and WA can return to normal.
 
Hopefully 5 days will be enough and WA can return to normal.

early report was that his housemates had not tested positive at this stage, so he may be a poor transmitter of the virus like the QLD case. But if it is the UK strain and he was in high-pop areas. Best solution was a harsh and rapid lockdown.
 
early report was that his housemates had not tested positive at this stage, so he may be a poor transmitter of the virus like the QLD case. But if it is the UK strain and he was in high-pop areas. Best solution was a harsh and rapid lockdown.

Fingers crossed. It also may be his housemates will test positive soon.

The good thing is that he is young and reported as soon as he had symptoms. The suspicion is that most people with no or low level symptoms tend not to be super-spreaders.
 
How accurate is that nhs covid app?

Its just pinged this morning saying I've been in contact with somebody that has covid and need to isolate for 8 days.

I've only been to work, the same people I've worked with for the whole pandemic with no issue.
 
How accurate is that nhs covid app?

Its just pinged this morning saying I've been in contact with somebody that has covid and need to isolate for 8 days.

I've only been to work, the same people I've worked with for the whole pandemic with no issue.

It should be accurate in the sense that it means you've been near someone who has tested positive. It might be worth asking the people you work with and if nobody has it there it's likely to be from being next to someone in a supermarket or similar.
 
It should be accurate in the sense that it means you've been near someone who has tested positive. It might be worth asking the people you work with and if nobody has it there it's likely to be from being next to someone in a supermarket or similar.


I can't figure out where it came from at all, I've not been to the shop since last Monday and it was near empty as I went late on. I only saw the alert this morning too. Plus at the shop I wasn't stood next to anyone for an extended period, even queing up was quick.

If it was at work then 20+ others would have got the message too as we all work in close proximity but nobody else it seems to have had the alert.

Honestly I've no clue where its got me.
 
I can't figure out where it came from at all, I've not been to the shop since last Monday and it was near empty as I went late on. I only saw the alert this morning too. Plus at the shop I wasn't stood next to anyone for an extended period, even queing up was quick.

If it was at work then 20+ others would have got the message too as we all work in close proximity but nobody else it seems to have had the alert.

Honestly I've no clue where its got me.
A friend of mine had the same happen to her. Pinged out of the blue saying isolate - the date it gave was on a day when she couldn’t think even being close to someone. She only went to Costa on that day and her daughter who she was with didn’t get notified to isolate and hasn’t tested positive. Then 4 days after she was told to isolate she had COVID symptoms and was confirmed to have it the following day.
 
I can't figure out where it came from at all, I've not been to the shop since last Monday and it was near empty as I went late on. I only saw the alert this morning too. Plus at the shop I wasn't stood next to anyone for an extended period, even queing up was quick.

If it was at work then 20+ others would have got the message too as we all work in close proximity but nobody else it seems to have had the alert.

Honestly I've no clue where its got me.

That does seem odd. The way the app works is to pickup the bluetooth signal from other phones around it and if you are in "close contact" for a few minutes to somebody who later tests positive. The time period used to be 15 minutes but may have changed.

Bluetooth is bad at measuring distances though due to the differences in hardware / phones so maybe somebody in the shop has tested positive and your phone was picking up the signal from their phone for the whole visit.

You should isolate if you can though as it may be a false reading in the app but you never know.
 
I’ve just rung a mate up and he has the same message on his phone app so we’re isolating, the bullshit thing is the rest of the office will be in our situation if they had the app yet they’ll still have to go in and continue to mix

It just makes a mockery of the whole situation. but hey a nice free week off for me so can’t complain.
 
I’ve just rung a mate up and he has the same message on his phone app so we’re isolating, the bullshit thing is the rest of the office will be in our situation if they had the app yet they’ll still have to go in and continue to mix

It just makes a mockery of the whole situation. but hey a nice free week off for me so can’t complain.
If they dont have the app , test and trace will contact them via phone etc , as whoever it is will have given details to them of who they work with etc .

Out of interest , when we tested positive at our house , both our neighbours were pinged saying they had to self isolate , even though we had been nowhere near them . I called test and trace , and so did they . test and trace have been aware bluetooth can work through walls , but still had to self isolate in any case
 
early report was that his housemates had not tested positive at this stage, so he may be a poor transmitter of the virus like the QLD case. But if it is the UK strain and he was in high-pop areas. Best solution was a harsh and rapid lockdown.

No more positives today although of course there may be people infected who won't produce a positive test for a few days yet. By this afternoon all 66 of his close contacts will be in quarantine hotels (slightly ironically).
 
No more positives today although of course there may be people infected who won't produce a positive test for a few days yet. By this afternoon all 66 of his close contacts will be in quarantine hotels (slightly ironically).

and 11 close contacts currently testing negative.
 
and 11 close contacts currently testing negative.

Long may it continue.

I had a random though/concern if the virus has escaped. As WA hadn't had a case in 10 months I was wondering if their contract tracing capacity would be up to the job? NSW probably has the best contact tracing and they helped Vic get up to speed in their outbreak. I hope NSW and Vic can help if required.
 
Long may it continue.

I had a random though/concern if the virus has escaped. As WA hadn't had a case in 10 months I was wondering if their contract tracing capacity would be up to the job? NSW probably has the best contact tracing and they helped Vic get up to speed in their outbreak. I hope NSW and Vic can help if required.

considering he's showing symptoms now, i'm actually kind of shocked the housemates are still clear.
 
The guy went on Barbados with his family just before christmas.

fecking mad whoever thought that was a good idea.

Tbf at 100 years old it's not like he's gonna have a huge amount of time left with or without COVID. If I was offered a free family holiday to Barbados at that point I'd probably think feck it and enjoy myself while I still can.
 
Tbf at 100 years old it's not like he's gonna have a huge amount of time left with or without COVID. If I was offered a free family holiday to Barbados at that point I'd probably think feck it and enjoy myself while I still can.
Yeah, but if he was a 30 year old nobody he’d probably be getting called a murderer on here for the people he could spread it to.
 
Tbf at 100 years old it's not like he's gonna have a huge amount of time left with or without COVID. If I was offered a free family holiday to Barbados at that point I'd probably think feck it and enjoy myself while I still can.
Fair point. From his own view I can sort of get why but if I was a family member I don't think I could agree to it(A part from the nicer weather, can you really do anything different in lockdown Barbados than in lockdown Britain ?). Also isn't dying from covid like a horrible way to go out ?

Plus the guy was basically a national treasure, it's not great for the general public to see him pissing off on holiday during a global pandemic.

Yeah, but if he was a 30 year old nobody he’d probably be getting called a murderer on here for the people he could spread it to.
That influencer lady last week living in Dubai, rightful got a ton of shit but she was basically doing the same thing.
 
Anybody who’s had Covid get really itchy skin? It’s driving me bonkers. I’ve historically had quite dry skin but it doesn’t normally cause any problems, I’m literally tearing the stuff off on a night now
 
FFS, not fair if the Isle of Man can return to normality and we can’t. I’m gonna catch COVID and then travel over secretly and go on a coughing spree
 
Anybody who’s had Covid get really itchy skin? It’s driving me bonkers. I’ve historically had quite dry skin but it doesn’t normally cause any problems, I’m literally tearing the stuff off on a night now
Hmmm I’ve had itchy skin on my face for the last couple of weeks, it’s driving me crazy. It feels a bit like shingles but it’s not broken like shingles.
I haven’t been tested as I haven’t been out of the house. We’ve all felt a bit run down.
 
Hmmm I’ve had itchy skin on my face for the last couple of weeks, it’s driving me crazy. It feels a bit like shingles but it’s not broken like shingles.
I haven’t been tested as I haven’t been out of the house. We’ve all felt a bit run down.
That’s pretty much the only symptoms I’ve had. Tiredness and itchiness. Also there’s no rash or anything. Maybe time for a test pal
 
Wish they would sort out the priority list for phase two. Just saying all adults vaccinated by Autumn doesn't exactly lift the mood.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...ups-for-covid-19-vaccination-30-december-2020

The committee is currently of the view that the key focus for the second phase of vaccination could be on further preventing hospitalisation.

Vaccination of those at increased risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 due to their occupation could also be a priority in the next phase. This could include first responders, the military, those involved in the justice system, teachers, transport workers, and public servants essential to the pandemic response. Priority occupations for vaccination are considered an issue of policy, rather than for JCVI to advise on. JCVIasks that the Department of Health and Social Care consider occupational vaccination in collaboration with other government departments.

Wider use of COVID-19 vaccines will provide a better understanding of whether they can prevent infection and onward transmission in the population. Data on vaccine impact on transmission, along with data on vaccine safety and effectiveness, will potentially allow for consideration of vaccination across the rest of the population.