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1/ In this thread I go over each covid breach in Australia since May 27. There have been 3 in VIC, 5 in NSW, 1 in SA, 1 in QLD. I am excluding hotel quarantine during Victorian second wave as this was the same strain causing that wave.
On May 27, a family of 4 seeded an outbreak of hotel security staff at Rydges Hotel. Poor isolation of contacts and slow testing led to 18,500+ infections, 800 deaths and seeding into NSW, QLD & SA. It took until early Nov to for this outbreak to die out. https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/it-started-with-a-family-of-four-rydges-seeded-90-per-cent-of-victoria-s-second-wave-covid-cases-20200818-p55mqe.html
June 4, a returned traveller seeded a cluster at Stamford Plaza that was only discovered by a family member in hospital. Another breach from a couple on June 11 fueled the cluster. This cluster grew to 46 cases, but was not the driver of the second wave.
https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/file_uploads/0387_RC_Covid-19_Final_Report_Volume_2_v21_Digital_h1LPjbnZ.pdf
https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/file_uploads/0387_RC_Covid-19_Final_Report_Volume_2_v21_Digital_h1LPjbnZ.pdf
All 3 breaches led to a review of Victoria's hotel quarantine system, seen in previous tweet. The Stamford outbreaks and the entire first wave were fortunately contained by contact tracing. There were numerous protocol failures and a lack of responsibility from DHHS.
NSW's first breach of HQ (post May) was at the Marriott Hotel in August. 2 guards were infected who worked at places across Sydney whilst infectious. Due to luck (no transmission) and transparent contact tracing, the breach did not lead to an outbreak. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-22/nsw-second-security-guard-positive-coronavirus-marriott-hotel/12585526
Australia avoided any overseas HQ breach until November when a cleaner's mum tested positive in hospital. A cleaner & two security guards were infected from poor ventilation. 33 SAians were infected and Adelaide went into a 3 day lockdown. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-15/ventilation-system-may-have-caused-hotel-quarantine-transmission/12984280
Much like the Victorian breaches, the cluster grew due to a lack of mandatory testing of hotel quarantine staff. However, the strength of contact tracing in SA avoided the situation Victoria faced in June.
NSW's first December breach came from a cleaner working at a hotel hosting US airline staff. While the cleaner commuted from Sydney to Minto, there was no secondary infection. https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/nsw-to-investigate-airline-quarantine-after-case-linked-to-us-crew-20201204-p56kr5.html
The next breach was remarkably similar. A bus driver transporting airline crew tested positive, but did not transmit to anybody else. This breach happened a day before.... https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-16/nsw-confirms-new-locally-acquired-coronavirus-case/12988866
The Avalon Cluster. We still don't know how it happened, other than that there were two big SSEs on one weekend in the one suburb. My opinion is the 2m2 rule was fuel to the fire. Roughly 180 people in NSW & Victoria were infected from this outbreak. https://www.smh.com.au/national/inside-the-hunt-for-the-northern-beaches-elusive-patient-zero-20210117-p56urp.html
This cluster was a big win for test, trace, isolate. But it shows that Australia is especially vulnerable to breaches that aren't directly linked to hotel quarantine. It shows the risk of handing out exemptions for people like flight crew, even if this isn't the root cause.
The last NSW breach was from a patient transport worker who transported a family from the US, and did not have proper PPE. The worker transmitted to a contact who went to a BWS in Berala, and this led to an outbreak with roughly 40 infections. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-03/nsw-records-eight-new-local-cases-of-covid-19/13028376
The most recent breach happened in QLD with the B117 strain. A couple infected a father/daughter at hotel, and a cleaner, who infected their partner (and nobody else). Despite the one onward transmission, Brisbane went into a 3-day lockdown. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-13/coronavirus-queensland-uk-strain-brisbane-hotel-quarantine/13054284
So we can divide breaches into ones that caused outbreaks: Rydges/Stamford, Adelaide, Avalon, Berala
And ones that didn't cause outbreaks:
Marriott, NSW Cleaner, Bus Driver, QLD Cleaner
With the exception of Berala, the early detection of infections has prevented outbreaks.
And ones that didn't cause outbreaks:
Marriott, NSW Cleaner, Bus Driver, QLD Cleaner
With the exception of Berala, the early detection of infections has prevented outbreaks.
There have also been a few examples of people testing positive after leaving HQ
Woolworths Balmain https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/news/Pages/20200702_02.aspx
A person who travelled to Newcastle area who infected close contacts
Person who flew from Melbourne to Sunshine Coast this month https://www.9news.com.au/national/coronavirus-mutant-strain-found-queensland-testing-in-maleny/931d0735-6994-498c-b85f-0f8c5ba29f69
Woolworths Balmain https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/news/Pages/20200702_02.aspx
A person who travelled to Newcastle area who infected close contacts
Person who flew from Melbourne to Sunshine Coast this month https://www.9news.com.au/national/coronavirus-mutant-strain-found-queensland-testing-in-maleny/931d0735-6994-498c-b85f-0f8c5ba29f69
