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2020-02-15 Down Under
Australia's public health system stretched to the limit cannot cope with a coronavirus outbreak. Hospitals plan to cancel non-essential surgery, hire uni students if epidemic hits
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Posted by anon1 2020-02-15 04:52|| || Front Page|| [1 views ]  Top

#1 Need more nurses.
Posted by Skidmark 2020-02-15 16:10||   2020-02-15 16:10|| Front Page Top

#2 yes, skidmark - Australia's health system doesn't even have the capacity to deal with 100 coronavirus patients let alone more than 1000 in the event of an epidemic

Yes, it needs more nurses, more doctors and more beds - but the government isn't making any plans for any of this

there are no medical assistants being hurriedly trained, field hospitals being set up etc

they are throwing all their energy into saying 'we've got the best medical system in the world, we're a developed country, we've got the best plans, don't panic'

but not actually doing anything other than trying to prevent it coming here (which must fail)
Posted by anon1 2020-02-15 17:31||   2020-02-15 17:31|| Front Page Top

#3 I suppose their (your?) strategy is to contain the north coast. Birds...stones, etc.
Posted by Skidmark 2020-02-15 20:17||   2020-02-15 20:17|| Front Page Top

#4 Hi, anon1! Now is the time to ignore the government and build resilience into your life as much as possible, it seems to me, which is useful no matter what the situation. If you collect some basic resources, you can survive a couple weeks quarantine at home, a power outage, or a forest fire, then worry about what the government does or does not do later.

This book is a good starting place, or go straight to the writer’s TedX talk to get a quick overview. (see here)
Posted by trailing wife 2020-02-15 21:27||   2020-02-15 21:27|| Front Page Top

#5 Hello wonderful Trailing Wife, and lovely Skidmark

skids: the Aussie Govt strategy as best I can make out is to prevent a local epidemic

So far they've done this by banning non-citizens flying in if they've been in China in the last 14 days. That ban ends next week

You can see the problem with this:

$39 billion of university earnings depends on foreign students. They want to start term.

But the epidemic is out of control in China and won't be contained by next week

So unless they are planning to ban all travel for the next entire year, someone will come in with the virus

Also, there's the problem that people coming from other places can have the virus

Also that asymptomatic people can have and spread the virus

Also that it incubates sometimes for up to 24 days not just 14

And Also that doesn't cover Australia's hundreds of thousands of dual citizens from China who are not banned

So you can see that strategy is doomed already

They marry this up with testing people (only those with symptoms) and contact tracing

Fail and fail.

So then, the only strategy for if an epidemic breaks out (apart from shoot the messenger and avoid panic at all costs) is what was already in place

ie: what the nurses' federation outlined in the story

- cancelling non-essential surgery and redirecting staff
- hiring uni students / bringing staff from interstate
- setting up triage centres separate to the hospital
- sending people home for 'hospital in the home' (ie: go back and die in your beds so nobody photographs you all lying on the floors and corridors in the hospitals and making it look like the 3rd world system it is)


Posted by anon1 2020-02-15 22:17||   2020-02-15 22:17|| Front Page Top

#6 Trailing Wife: yes, I agree with you - I've been stockpiling food, tins, rice,

isopropyl alcohol for disinfecting

also I bought an oxygen concentrator off the family of a man who died of emphysema (he didn't need it anymore)

The big deal will be people needing oxygen but not getting it I figure.

that way I can use it myself then use it to help family at home if needed
Posted by anon1 2020-02-15 22:18||   2020-02-15 22:18|| Front Page Top

#7 $39billion of university earnings depends on foreign students.

When oh when will this country's (and Australia's, and Canada's, and Britain's) realize that making ourselves dependent on Chinese revenue, Chinese customers, Chinese partners etc is POISON?

We have been signing our own death warrant.

End this madness. End our dependence on China, Chinese suppliers, Chinese customers, Chinese students and faculty, Chinese everything.

An utterly insane policy.

ENOUGH.
Posted by Lex 2020-02-15 22:30||   2020-02-15 22:30|| Front Page Top

#8 What's that old saying that the revolution starts after three days of no food ?
Posted by Thaith Elmeresing6163 2020-02-15 22:43||   2020-02-15 22:43|| Front Page Top

#9 Lex: yes indeed. the universities are basically selling back-door citizenship

the Chinese and Indians aren't coming here for the quality of the education - but for the visa. They end up with graduate visa -> skills visa -> residency -> citizenship

that's what the unis are selling

citizenship for 3rd world elites via expensive tertiary degrees

the net effect is that uni places for Australian citizens are restricted to focus on more profitable high-paying foreign students

so eg: if you want to do medicine, you have to get 99.99/100 in your TER

hardly any Australian can be a doctor basically as very few can get over that bar

same goes for other high-demand degrees.

but as long as you are reasonably smart you can pay $100k/year and do it if you are a rich 3rd world elite who wants citizenship

it's replacing the middle class.
Posted by anon1 2020-02-15 22:56||   2020-02-15 22:56|| Front Page Top

#10 replacing the middle class = the goal.
Posted by Lex 2020-02-15 23:18||   2020-02-15 23:18|| Front Page Top

23:18 Lex
23:01 trailing wife
23:00 Lex
22:58 Lex
22:56 anon1
22:45 Skidmark
22:43 Thaith Elmeresing6163
22:42 Skidmark
22:38 trailing wife
22:32 Lex
22:30 Lex
22:26 Lex
22:22 Lex
22:20 Lex
22:18 anon1
22:18 Lex
22:17 anon1
21:50 Texhooey
21:41 Besoeker
21:39 trailing wife
21:28 Frank G
21:27 trailing wife
21:19 Woodrow
21:15 Woodrow









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