Dear Journos, here are 8 questions to consider asking at the presser today! #covid19vic #auspol
@sumeyyailanbey @bridgerollo @msanto92 @Raf_Epstein Please tag any journos who are attending!

1) The staff infected at Box Hill on the covid ward - were their masks fit-tested ????
2) Box hill outbreak - staff are confused by messaging re: testing. They've heard 'all staff at the facility will be tested' publicly, while internal memos tell ask not to get tested unless they spent >29 min on ward/work regularly on the ward/direct contact w confirmed case
2 contd:)
Specific quote attributable to anonymous senior staff member "should i go to work as planned as I have been told not to test as have most of BHH staff. Yet you say we will be tested first".
3) Why aren't staff working on COVID wards, 6 months into a pandemic being CO-HORTED (essentially meaning quarantined) before being asked to work on non-covid wards? They could be infectious without knowing.
4) If cohorting is impossible (ffs) why aren't staff switching from COVID to non-COVID wards required to test negative? Isn't the Box Hill outbreak proof that the current protocols for weekly asymptomatic testing is not enough?
5) Why is testing in box hill outbreak still quite narrow (direct contacts, regular staff or >29 min on ward) when testing capacity is not burdened?
6) Chadstone - Is it true that asymptomatic testing of staff at Chadstone shops has uncovered a/some positive cases? If so, why didn't we test all customers of the butchers (esp as some customers tested positive!)? > follow up q as we know answer will be 'proportionality
7) We've been told the issue is 'proportionality' seems to be the answer provided to justify narrow testing (staff at box hill and Chadstone). While we have capacity in our testing system, is it more disproportional than the risk of an extension of lockdowns or wave 2.5th wave?
8) Who hired the private security guards (jk pls don't)
Hospital outbreaks matter.
If the virus leaks from there, then we will get wave 2.5 in the absence of a lockdown.
It's that simple.
This is not 'just' about protecting healthcare workers.
Far from it.
fyi this is the main theory on how the outbreak began.
Yo thanks for asking the question today @andrew_lund (i think it was you?)

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Dr Vyom Sharma

Dr Vyom Sharma Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @drvyom

11 Oct
@leighsales
Comparing NSW to VIC now is a bit tricky - Both states are achieving similar case numbers, but Vic is worse than it looks right now, barely achieving the same result with lockdowns. Open up = drastically worse. RE: what is truly unique about Vic vs NSW approach -
No doubt Vic contact tracing was inadequate, likely due to a highly centralised structure of DHHS vs localised health model NSW. Lack of local knowledge and inefficiency come with this.
And although our CHO is highly competent, despite same job title as his interstate counterparts, did not have same rank in hierarchy.
Read 13 tweets
11 Oct
FUCK. AGAIN.
opening question on hotel quarantine. 2 follow ups.
3rd follow up question. #prayforme
Read 9 tweets
10 Oct
This is train-wreck writing.
The first sentence is shit.
The second sentence is so shit it makes the first sentence sound like Shakespeare.
“Unless we have some comparative advantage”
Yes, because the commonest reason to “do trains” is achieve a comparative disadvantage, or neutrality
“For strategic reasons”.

Like what? Annexing Damascus? Or like, making transportation practical for people/resources? What are we talking about?
Read 4 tweets
10 Oct
We've had 1 opening question & almost 12 follow ups q at the presser about 'who hired the private guards' now.
I'm not saying it's not worth asking.
I'm just saying we're on knife's edge re: #covid19vic control, and maybe the 1st q should be what will you do to stop transmission.
Ask them why every person who has stepped foot onto the ward at the hospital outbreak isn't getting tested, not just the regular staff members/those who've spent > 30 min on there.
Ask them why we aren't testing even more casual contacts when we have slack in the system.
Ask them what their model is about 3 degrees of isolation - how do we balance making it effective, acceptable, humane and sustainable, without deterring people from electing themselves as contacts, and also not incentivising them to falsely say they are contacts.
Read 6 tweets
9 Oct
Dear journos, a q for presser:
1/ "Re the hospital outbreak, CHO said all workers at the facility are being tested. Is it true this only includes staff in direct contact with confirmed cases + those who've spent >30 min on the ward? Should criteria be loosened?" #covidvic #auspol
follow up? "Given that we do not have strain on testing (resources/turnaround times), and that this could be a highly infectious outbreak (staff infected despite masks), is there a harm in testing more widely if it means a few extra hundred tests?"
2/ Assuming a/the infectious patient is still at the hospital,, the staff who are looking after them, have they been through quantitative fit testing for the P2/N95 masks they are wearing?
#covid19vic
Read 6 tweets
9 Oct
This presser jesus - here we are at a make/break point re: this 2nd wave, yet STILL talking about who hired the private security guards. Stop trying to blame one person. Blame them all. Blame the entire apparatus. Blame me. And let's get on with what matters most #covidvic
This is EXACTLY how all the arguments in my family play out. SAME SHIT.

It doesn't matter who screwed up, let's just take the NEXT.CORRECT.STEP.
I think the best part of our ethnic family fights is when I yell "stop yelling".
Read 7 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!