Why, Melbourne?
A snap lockdown was sparked over Christmas 2020 in NSW after a spike in COVID-19 cases on Northern Beaches, Queensland had one after an outbreak at Princess Alexandra Hospital, and Perth shut down over Anzac Day but Melbourne has today entered its fourth round of lockdowns.
According to Melbourne epidemiologist Nancy Baxter a lot of it is about bad luck.
She said some people can spread COVID to no one while another can it to a lot of people and Melbourne’s current COVID woes have no rhyme or reason.
Then again, Baxter said Melbourne's inadequate hotel quarantine at the beginning of the pandemic, poor contract tracing and a poorly funded public health system led to the second wave.
She also mentioned how Melbourne’s notoriously cold weather could have an impact on why this keeps happening. The more you are indoors the more risk in spreading events. She also mentioned Melbourne's clubbing and eating out culture as factors.
She said snap lockdowns in response to hotel quarantine are criticized but had Melbourne done a short lockdown when the person was discovered to have contacted COVID in lockdown, then Victoria wouldn’t not be in this situation.
She speaks of the number of exposure sites recently announced have been super spreader events elsewhere such as clubs, gyms and cafes and how it has been fairly relaxed in Victoria with people not using QR codes religiously, so there could be contacts in the community that have not been traced.
“We are living life in Australia as if COVID doesn’t exist”.
Baxter said the original COVID variant was bought under control relatively easily, with the UK variant ‘we had a lot more trouble with’. The UK variant for every person infected they give it to 3.5 additional people but “what they are saying with the Indian variant, they give it to 5 additional people and symptoms develop and COVID is passed on much quick, in a day”.
She said Australians need to be serious, use the QR codes everywhere they go, wear face masks on public transport and shared rides and get tested with the mildest systems.
--In this video-----
0:00 Is Melbourne more susceptible to big COVID outbreaks?
3:16 COVID Melbourne cases spreading faster, why?
5:45 Is the Melbourne COVID outbreak something that can happen anywhere in Australia?
8:37 Why has it not happened in other Australian states?
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