Coronavirus update, Tuesday: Mobile App To Track COVID Cases
Bluetooth tracker app; unfair fines; "illegal dinner party" probe
Hello! It’s Tuesday April 14. Here’s today’s ‘5+5: coronavirus edition’.
Each day I’m bringing you 5 big things to know, and 5 other bits, about the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. The fire hose of news being blasted out every day is getting more intense and confusing. Let me try to help you get it under control.
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You can email me at joshb2@protonmail.com if you have tips, feedback, ideas or just want to chat
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Wash your hands and sneeze into your elbow. Practise physical distancing - at least 1.5 metres of separation. “Stay the fuck at home”.
Today’s Australian stats: as of 3pm Tuesday, Australia has 6400 reported cases of COVID-19 (that’s +41 since yesterday); there have been 61 deaths; and more than 366,000 tests have been done, according to the latest federal Department of Health stats. Full global stats breakdown below
5 BIG THINGS
Mobile app to track coronavirus cases
The conversation is now turning to when, and how, to wind back coronavirus rules and lockdowns, as case numbers drop (more on that below). I spoke to a number of public health and infection experts today, for a story you will be able to read here soon, who all said it was too soon to talk about this, and that people wanting lockdowns off now were “delusional”.
But the government knows people are getting antsy now, and will get more so soon, and is looking for ways to balance 1) getting back to ‘normal’ against 2) keeping infections low. One of those ways is a new phone app to be launched soon, which will track your contact with anyone who has coronavirus. The hope is that if it’s easier to track contact and infection spread, it’s less likely that an outbreak will get out of control, and therefore, society can open up a little faster. Full story on the Sydney Morning Herald here.
Countries like Singapore have used similar schemes. It’s obviously about balancing privacy against public safety. I’m running a little poll on this — give it a vote, if you use Twitter:
Increased testing as numbers fall
The good news is that numbers of new coronavirus cases in Australia are dropping, fast. Health minister Greg Hunt said Monday that Australia is officially now “flattening the curve” (my story here). There is talk of how and when to begin winding back some restrictions gradually over coming weeks and months. Australians are being praised for sticking to social distancing rules. But we’re far from out of the woods yet, and with most parts of the outbreak under control, attention now turns to stamping out the virus totally — a strategy known as ‘eradication’.
This means aggressively tracking the virus, who has it and who they have been in contact with. The fear is that if there’s even traces of the virus left in the community when we open pubs and restaurants again, that the virus will spread and we’re back to square one. So states are expanding their testing programs, with most at-risk people (those who have recently returned from overseas, for instance) now having already been tested and isolated if needed. NSW has today announced same-day results for testing (story here), while Victoria will begin testing people with any symptoms of the virus — in hopes of rooting out those hidden cases that may not have symptoms (story here).
Unfair fines overturned
While Australians are by and large sticking to guidance to stay home, attention is now squarely on how police are enforcing the rules. Nationwide, people have been slapped with fines of at least $1000 for leaving mandatory quarantine, visiting friends, driving "aimlessly", playing sport in groups, or having dinner parties, among countless other breaches. NSW has issued more than 470 penalty notices since March 17, while Victoria issued 158 fines in the 24 hours to 9am Monday alone.
In addition, numerous reports of unfair fines have been overturned. A teenage girl taking driving lessons with her mum, a man who was driving his car to visit a bike trail for exercise, and a man who visited a car wash late at night were all initially fined, before having the tickets revoked. Overnight, a new report emerged of a couple being fined for posting old holiday photos on social media, with police thinking they were recent, and therefore that the couple had breached the rules. The Guardian published a report about a man, who had recently lost his job, being fined for sitting alone in his car and looking at the ocean.
I published a story yesterday on ‘How To Get Out Of An 'Unfair' Coronavirus Fine’, speaking to a few lawyers who say the rules are confusing and “unenforceable”, and that fines could be overturned in court. Check it out here.
Confusion over Tasmanian outbreak’s links to ‘illegal dinner party’
The current coronavirus cluster of most concern is one in north-west Tasmania, where some 5000 people have been told to isolate after the virus broke out in two hospitals there. They have since been closed, and staff told to go home, after around 50 cases among hospital workers. An Australian Medical Assistance Team is being deployed by the federal government to assist the region.
On Tuesday, chief medical officer Brendan Murphy claimed in a phone call that “most of” the hospital staff had been “to an illegal dinner party of medical workers”.
However, he later backtracked, and said that hadn’t been confirmed (story here).
Today’s stats:
The latest stats from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering (as of 9am Sydney time on Thursday) report 1,929,922 confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide. There have been 120,449 deaths.
The United States has 582,594 confirmed cases, with Spain next but far behind on 172,541, then Italy (159,516). The U.S. (23,469 deaths) has overtaken Italy (20,465) for the highest fatalities, with Spain third on 18,056.
By comparison, in Australia — the latest federal Department of Health stats (as of 3pm Tuesday) show 6400 cases. The death toll is 61. We’ve done more than 366,000 tests.
The latest Australian graph:
5 OTHER THINGS
My colleague Eden has published a shocking story on foreign workers in Australia posting job ads during the coronavirus crisis, and being propositioned for sex and nude photos. Full story here.
Coronavirus might be able to travel at least four metres in the air — so cover your mouth! (story here)
A NSW criminal investigation into the Ruby Princess cruise ship debacle — linked to hundreds of coronavirus cases and nearly 20 deaths — will report back in September.
The World Health Organisation says coronavirus is 10 times deadlier than swine flu (story here).
Magda Szubanski has done this work of art, as Sharon from ‘Kath & Kim’:
IMPORTANT EVERY DAY
You “must” stay home at all times unless: shopping for essential supplies, and even then, doing that as infrequently as possible; getting medical care; exercising alone or with one other person; or work and education (more information here)
be hygienic; wash your hands properly, for at least 30 seconds with soap and water, multiple times a day (here’s how you need to do it, plus a handy Dr Karl video tutorial); sneeze and cough into your elbows; use hand sanitiser
Listen to only official information from the World Health Organisation and legitimate health bodies — Don’t share dodgy stuff on Facebook. If it looks too good (or bad) to be true, it often is. Verify, fact-check, don’t be part of the misinformation problem
World Health Organisation latest statistics here
Australian government latest statistics here
Signing off - stay safe, be healthy, look after yourself and others
Josh