Covid data for Monday, 11 January 2021
Global Cases: 90,691,625
Increase: 614,154
Global Deaths: 1,943,131
Increase: 8,318
Australia
Cases 28,611 Change: 16
Deaths 909 Change: 0
Critical
Cases per Million 1,115
UK
Cases 3,072,349 Change: 54,940
Deaths 81,431 Change: 563
Critical 3,098
Cases per Million 45,132
USA
Cases 22,917,334 Change: 217,396
Deaths 383,275 Change: 1,795
Critical 28,931
Cases per Million 69,022
Covid data for Tuesday, 12 January 2021
Global Cases: 91,318,240
Increase: 626,615
Global Deaths: 1,952,932
Increase: 9,801
Australia
Cases 28,633 Change: 22
Deaths 909 Change: 0
Critical 1
Cases per Million 1,116
UK
Cases 3,118,518 Change: 46,169
Deaths 81,960 Change: 529
Critical 3,098
Cases per Million 45,810
USA
Cases 23,143,197 Change: 225,863
Deaths 385,249 Change: 1,974
Critical 28,826
Cases per Million 69,701
My daughter rang me today with some good news.
The ACT Government has lifted COVID-19 travel restrictions for parts of Sydney along with the Central Coast, Wollongong and the Blue Mountains, but much of Sydney will remain a hotspot area.
I shall be driving to the ACT on Friday to send the weekend there, I haven’t seen my grandkids for months and will take their Christmas presents.
Some good news anyway.
It would seem that the extra measures put in place since Christmas and the New Year are taking effect, with a steady decrease in both infection rates and death rates. Let’s keep up the good work…
Great stuff Bruce, drive carefully…
Covid data for Wednesday, 13 January 2021
Global Cases: 92,006,178
Increase: 687,938
Global Deaths: 1,970,030
Increase: 17,098
Australia
Cases 28,647 Change: 14
Deaths 909 Change: 0
Critical 1
Cases per Million 1,117
UK
Cases 3,164,051 Change: 45,533
Deaths 83,203 Change: 1,243
Critical 3,363
Cases per Million 46,478
USA
Cases 23,368,225 Change: 225,028
Deaths 389,599 Change: 4,350
Critical 29,222
Cases per Million 70,378
Queensland has had no local cases today but are taking the extraordinary step of evacuating the quarantine hotel where the UK cases came from, isolating the staff for 14 days, adding 14 more days to the quarantine of those who were there.
This UK Strain is being taken very seriously and keeping it out of the country seems to be a top priority. Six cases in the Brisbane area are linked to it.
No disrespect Bruce, but ever since the beginning of the covid outbreak Australia is small potatoes compared to the UK and the rest of Europe.
I don’t think it totally due to the restrictions that Australia has adhered to because there are countries who have acted in similar way to Australia and Covid has still run out of control.
Australia has 25.49 million residents where the UK has 67.88 million, but Australia is 32 times larger that the UK.
I realize that some of Aus is not inhabited but they have much more land, so much easier to stay more than 2 metres apart.
Under those circumstances I would be very concerned if Australians didn’t have a lower infection rate.
When I watch videos of people driving in Aus, the roads seem empty of cars, let alone people, so it is probably only in City centres where it is so contageous.
With the Uk having so many residents in a much smaller area, the virus is more likely to be passed to others & is probably why we have such a large number of infected people.
I don’t doubt that Australia is doing it’s best to control this virus, but the job is much harder in countries where
people live closer together!
I agree with that Twink, and also Australia is a country where people get more exposure to the sun all year round, with people generally wearing shorts and summer tops most of the year. As well as the obvious Vitamin D connection, I believe that this outdoor living also ensures that having contracted the virus, the chances of dying from it are drastically reduced. Which is demonstrated by the low mortality figures. I would suggest that people in Australia don’t spend half as much time indoors as us here in the UK.
There is, inevitably, a downside to the Australian outdoor lifestyle:
Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world. Skin cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in Australia. About two in three Australians will be diagnosed with some form of skin cancer before the age of 70.
The three main types of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and melanoma.
Almost 980,000 new cases of BCC and SCC are treated each year. BCC can develop in young people, but it is more common in people over 40. SCC occurs mostly in people over 50.
More than 13,000 people are diagnosed with melanoma in Australia every year. Australia and New Zealand have the highest rates of melanoma in the world.
This all rather sounds like an attempt to justify the failures of the governments of the USA and Europe to effectively deal with Covid rather than any serious thinking about how to deal with the pandemic. Those governments chose to totally ignore scientific and medical advice in oreder to protect the economy and failed at both
You are right about infection rates in Australia being small potatoes compared to Europe and the USA but every health expert disagrees with your second para. It is entirely because of the restrictions imposed because of scientific and health advice that we are small potatoes compared to Europe.
Who else shut their borders completely and early? We saw the dramatic rise in cases in Victoria which was initially slow to react but eventually quelled by severe enforced restrictions over a period of months. Likewise the UK Strain in Queensland.
It is strict enforcement and compliance that has been the key to our success so far. New Zealand has been even more successful.
We learned how not to do it from the USA, UK and Europe.
As for Twinks comments we have dealt with this elsewhere but Australia is one of the most urbanised populations on the planet . something like 40% of the total population live in Melbourne and Sydney. Sure if you removed the state capitals what Twink says is true there is little covid in regional areas but over 90% of the population live in those capital cities.
Covid data for Thursday, 14 January 2021
Global Cases: 92,767,845
Increase: 761,667
Global Deaths: 1,986,696
Increase: 16,666
Australia
Cases 28,658 Change: 11
Deaths 909 Change: 0
Critical 1
Cases per Million 1,117
UK
Cases 3,211,576 Change: 47,525
Deaths 84,767 Change: 1,564
Critical 3,496
Cases per Million 47,175
USA
Cases 23,616,345 Change: 248,120
Deaths 393,928 Change: 4,329
Critical 29,238
Cases per Million 71,124
You would only know if they had failed Bruce, if you could possibly know what the outcome would have been if the response would have been different.
Because of the high incidence of skin cancer in Australia and New Zealand, I could argue that, had you taken the same measures to combat skin cancer as we do in the UK, your figures could have been drastically reduced…Of course, different geography and climate have always played a major role in the type and frequency of illnesses that we experience in our respective countries.
The UK experiences a surge in viruses and colds every year, hence the need to vaccinate against the next strain of flu before the winter.
Exactly Omah, this confirms that the exposure to the sun is far greater in Australia than it is in the UK, and could also explain the relatively low infection figures, and also the mortality figures. Vitamin D has been know for some time to boost immunity and bring about a good outcome of survivors from those who have caught the virus.
Hi
Things are getting scary now.
So much Covid in Hospitals and a shortage of Specialist Medical staff for treating heart problems as they are flat out treating Covid Patients.
Under more normal conditions I would be back in Critical Care.
I have been advised to stay at home and alter my medication.
Things really are that bad.
I think it is true to say that Australia, NZ and a few other countries are examples of what happens when you successfully control the pandemic. The UK, parts of Europe and the USA are examples of what happens when you fail to control the pandemic the cost economically and in human terms is awful.
The second wave in Melbourne demonstrated exactly what happens if you fail to control infection rates and their subsequent lockdown and elimination of the virus in that state once again proves that lockdowns work if they are strict and enforced.
We are by no means at the end of this pandemic and it could take off anywhere at any time. Because it has controlled outbreaks Australia has the luxury of being able to take time to discuss and organise its vaccination program rather than be forced into the emergency situation in Europe and the US.
BTW Boris’ backflips, body swerves and triple somersaults are a thing of Olympic beauty admired from afar.
A lot easier to control a few dozen infected people Bruce than a few tens of thousands. Testing was late getting off the ground and I think there were many more undetected people back in March than the figures suggested. I think the infected people had already spread around the UK before it was even noticed.
It’s no wonder that we detecting thousands more positive responses now because we are completing thousands more tests, with faster results.
Covid data for Friday, 15 January 2021
Global Cases: 93,530,088
Increase: 762,243
Global Deaths: 2,002,347
Increase: 15,651
Australia
Cases 28,665 Change: 7
Deaths 909 Change: 0
Critical 1
Cases per Million 1,117
UK
Cases 3,260,258 Change: 48,682
Deaths 86,015 Change: 1,248
Critical 3,496
Cases per Million 47,890
USA
Cases 23,848,410 Change: 232,065
Deaths 397,994 Change: 4,066
Critical 29,232
Cases per Million 71,822
That is correct, hence the need for severe restrictions as early as possible. That is the scientific and health advice - if that advice is taken then you end up in Australia’s situation if it is not then you end up with Britain’s predicament.
It really is that simple.
At the moment NSW has had zero local cases for two days after the outbreak in the Northern beaches and another in Brewala both areas were locked down immediately and the crisis is over it appears.
The problem at the moment is that not enough people are coming forward for testing, only 15000 yesterday, the NSW government wants 30000 tests each day. However the premier has flagged an easing of restrictions next week if we continue on this trajectory. Hopefully the state borders will also start to open soon.
Queensland looks to have smothered the UK Virus outbreak from hotel quarantine in Brisbane after locking the city down.
The Qid Premier is unhappy with hotel quarantine being in the city and wants quarantine to occur in remote mining camps (as happens in the NT)
Anyway shortly I am driving to the ACT it will be interesting to see what happens after I cross the border because residents from 11 Sydney postcodes are still not allowed in.
