Regional NSW - 7 day lockdown, August 15

About 350 overseas doctors and nurses will fly into Victoria as the sector faces pressure from growing coronavirus cases sending staff into isolation. The pandemic has placed enormous pressure on all parts of our health system including our workforce who are testing, vaccinating, and caring for Victorians in record numbers," a government spokesperson said in a statement.

"Roughly 350 health professionals will take up critical roles in our health system over the next few months, with the first group of arrivals set to work across Melbourne and Bendigo."

The medicos will be employed across 30 public health services.

Hundreds of staff at Royal Melbourne Hospital have been furloughed after a coronavirus-infected patient went to the hospital for surgery but was not tested for the illness.

More than 150 staff from Goulburn Valley Health are also isolating because of the growing cluster in Shepparton.

The state government on Wednesday confirmed the recruitments, with about 90 per cent of the new starts being doctors and the remainder made of specialist nurses and midwives.

The majority will start working by October. https://thewest.com.au/news/health/vic-imports-international-doctors-nur...

The hardest part of a 7 day lockdown is the first 30 days.

Blowin quoting Blowin. Niiiice. ; )

Errr... wouldn't these health professionals be needed in their own countries?

"Roughly 350 health professionals will take up critical roles in our health system over the next few months, with the first group of arrivals set to work across Melbourne and Bendigo."

it's a damn good question zen

and the first thing that sprang to my mind

seems our decadence knows no bounds, even in a pandemic

unless...

they could be from china

surely not...

even shameless scotty wouldn't go there?

No but shameless belt and road Dan would...

A quick acupuncture to re-align the chi…viola, covid gone.

sadly you are correct there optimist...

maybe he'll bring in some security guards too

a kind of package deal... a 'diversity' package...

This has gotta be BS?

If true - pathetic that a year and a half in our however many levels of government couldn't have at least tried to organise an appropriately well paid mobile national team of health workers to respond where needed.

Governments love to talk about a 24hr, seven day a week world - and the need for a mobile, agile and adaptable workforce - when it comes to screwing already low paid workers for weekend work.

Surely they could at least look into creating a WELL PAID one with these qualities to deal with a health crisis.

What do you do with these 350 when we hit COVID zero after another six months of lockdown? Send 'em to WA to pick fruit for pittance - sorry 'revive the regions' over there? Or maybe they stay in Vic and drive down aged care workers wages and nurses wages even more.

There’s a current shortage in regional areas where migrant doctors usually do 3 years before being able to move to cities so maybe they will be moved there after crisis is over .

Yeah I guess there's that.
Good point.

The health system can’t keep having medical staff isolating for 14 days after every possible exposure.
Need to get rapid testing happening ASAP. Shouldn’t be struggling with this now after having 12 months of contingency planning available.

Extended another 2 weeks. Oh fuck, that will be tough for a lot of businesses. I have funds available to continue to pay my staff but many others don’t. I actually think the extension is to keep the pressure on folk to get vaccinated and to keep the momentum going as more and more get their shots.

I read that the anti vax fuckwits are now booking shots online and not turning up, thus possible having shots wasted and generally to continue to be the trolls they are.

Hey Ive got a great idea...lets train some smart young Australians as doctors for free....
.Then we will have some....
Surely Albo and Scotty can agree on that one....If not , can we have their two GP's move out to the regions.

Coff's Harbour just got $14,000,000 for a boat ramp.....because the Coff's council engineers cant build a functional boat ramp.....inside a harbour.....hope shes a goodun.
Coff's council are building themselves a $75,000,000 council building to hang out in.....
How about they give some grants to smart local kids to be GP's ...would be just some loose change for them.

"The health system can’t keep having medical staff isolating for 14 days after every possible exposure.
Need to get rapid testing happening ASAP. Shouldn’t be struggling with this now after having 12 months of contingency planning available."

... having 12 months of contingency planning available...

more like 18 months...

but clearly practically no contingency planning...

seriously, compared to other countries, nothing has even happened yet in australia re. corona beyond a bad flu season...

I'd hate to think how australia and its systems would react if we had to face an outbreak like europe did or indonesia

I’m not sure if I’m reading this right , I booked a vaccination for my wife ( Pfizer ) and the earliest we found was 30klms away and first dose on October 17 then 3 weeks later in November. By these new rules it looks as though she cant meet friends until fully vaccinated. Please tell me I’m reading it wrong . We live in tweed heads . https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-26/nsw-eases-some-covid-restrictions...

Hold the phone , I just got sent this , here’s hoping. https://www.mygc.com.au/change-of-heart-nsw-comes-to-party-on-border-shi...

Surely they will have to make border at least ocean shores . South of Ballina would make more sense especially those getting cancer treatments on Gold Coast .

So how does this plan work? Does it mean moving checkpoints south.?. If so ,what about all the people who live south of the river but work, have a business or need services in Tweed Heads ? Are they allowed to freely travel to and from Tweed etc? Or are Tweed residents just considered temporary QLDers and border checkpoints remain in same locations.?

I think they will move the check point south as it will be easier to manage , how far south is the question.

Well I’m back to work tomorrow. I have an essential worker pass so can come and go…I just have to isolate 2 weeks before I can get out and about in QLD. The iso period restarts each day. I have to go straight to my NSW place of work and straight back to my QLD address each evening. I can still go food shopping in QLD and family members don’t have to isolate.

@ roadkill , what is considered an essential worker ? I have friends that are tradies that haven’t worked for 2 weeks either side of the border , some come from nerang others from Uki and yes they are vaccinated. Also half of the Greenkeepers at CTGC live in Qld.

Supafreak wrote:

@ roadkill , what is considered an essential worker ? I have friends that are tradies that haven’t worked for 2 weeks either side of the border , some come from nerang others from Uki and yes they are vaccinated.

At a minimum AHPRA registration is what gets someone an essential worker status. But not all AHPRA registered folk get an essential worker status.

Thanks roadkill , any idea about firefighters ?

Supafreak wrote:

Thanks roadkill , any idea about firefighters ?

Firefighters and ambulance paramedic were told to stay home..not sure if that has changed any in the last 2 weeks.

Thanks again , shows how fcked up the “ system “ is .

Superfreak- " I’m not sure if I’m reading this right , I booked a vaccination for my wife ( Pfizer ) and the earliest we found was 30klms away and first dose on October 17 then 3 weeks later in November. "

Super, if you’re keen for your wife to get a vaccine shot sooner I’ve heard of a couple of instances now where people have just done a walk in to a vaccination clinic on the day without booking and received the pfizer.

First one was my sister in law who had a booked appointment and was told by the nurse that if she knew of anyone who needed a shot to get on the phone otherwise the doses get thrown out at the end of the day. She called someone she knew and so he and 2 mates went down.

Also I know 2 couples who walked into a clinic on different days and got the shot. They were all able to book the second dose on the day as well.

@fliplid , what region are you in ? I’ve asked at tweed mall vaccination centre and they have no Pfizer , it all went south to Sydney, I searched everywhere in the tweed shire and found nothing , she is booked in for ocean shores which is Byron shire in October, looked at AZ but her doctor didn’t recommend it because of her age plus female . Most clinics in tweed aren’t even taking bookings for Pfizer yet when I searched last week .

Demand must be higher down there. This was in Hervey Bay and Bundaberg

I actually booked 2 months ago for pfizer and earliest I could get was Tuesday this week. Plenty of az about though.

They seem to be taking all comers up here because the first couple went in around 10am without an appointment. Same for the others, no appointment but later in the day

https://www.theonion.com/vaccine-skeptic-does-own-research-by-enrolling-...

Supafreak wrote:

@fliplid , what region are you in ? I’ve asked at tweed mall vaccination centre and they have no Pfizer , it all went south to Sydney, I searched everywhere in the tweed shire and found nothing , she is booked in for ocean shores which is Byron shire in October, looked at AZ but her doctor didn’t recommend it because of her age plus female . Most clinics in tweed aren’t even taking bookings for Pfizer yet when I searched last week .

What does plus female mean?

My wife had AZ and she is in her 40’s and just finishing off treatment for breast cancer. Blood clots were a higher risk than normal for her due to medication but the risks were still minimal. AZ is about as safe as any of the 3 risk wise.

@roadkill , yeah my wife is 30 , her advice was from her doctor ………… In Australia, severe cases of TTS appear to be more common in women in younger age groups. Nearly half of the TTS cases in women required treatment in intensive care. Cases meeting the criteria for Tier 1 were also twice as likely to occur in women compared to men. Four of the 5 deaths occurred in women aged 48 (2 cases), 52 and 72-years-old. The other death was in a 44-year-old man. https://www.tga.gov.au/periodic/covid-19-vaccine-weekly-safety-report-29... She’s Balinese and wasn’t keen on getting vaccinated but understands it’s the only way she will be allowed on a plane and entry eventually to Bali. I reasoned with her it was better to get it in Australia than Indonesia. Most of her friends back home are afraid of the vaccine . She’s never been vaccinated for anything before . I’m just glad she’s agreed to get vaccinated and it was her decision after taking to doctor . Where she’s from a doctor is the last resort, her father is a hindu priest and balian , people in her village seek out a balian before they will consider a doctor . That just how it is . I agree with you that AZ is as safe as the other vaccines .

So Soli Bailey lives in QLD now does he?

surfline.com/surf-news/always-sunnier-se-queensland/129884

https://www.mygc.com.au/qld-and-nsw-refusing-to-compromise-on-border-tal...

Politics at play and very little else. Both side having discussions only to be seen to be having discussions. Closest transmissible case in the NSW community was 630km away.