Quick Visit to The 'Gong

Wollongong is the state’s third largest city and is about a 3 hour drive north of us.
The co driver had an early medical appointment there so we left before dawn and made it in good time.
The city lies on the coast wedged between the spectacular Illawarra Escarpment and a long wide beach that runs from Flagstaff Hill with its lighthouse to the industrial suburb of Port Kembla.
Wollongong is noted for its heavy industry and port activity. It also has a long history of coal mining.
It has two cathedrals and the Nan Tien Temple, the largest Buddhist temple in the southern hemisphere.
The University of Wollongong is internationally recognized.

Port Kembla is known for its steelworks operations and coal and grain shipping terminal. A gas export terminal is also under development.
I had only a short time to explore as the co-driver was ‘done’ in under an hour and we headed back south.
But we’ll be back next month for three days when I have some minor surgery planned.

A New Weed in Town

We are always in the lookout for the daisy like fireweed (Senecio madagascariensis).
It can be poisonous to stock. In fact I found one plant in our pasture last week. It has taken over many acres in the northern part of our region but so far has not caused too many problems around us. We usually pull, bag and burn the odd one if found. We assume the seeds come in with the cattle hay.

But recently a new weed has been found to our north.

Parthenium (Parthenium hysterophorus) is native to the Caribbean, southern USA and central America. It was introduced to central Queensland in the 1950s in contaminated pasture seed from Texas USA and has found its way south.

The weed has been discovered on a chicken farm near Kiama and it's the first time the weed has been found in south-eastern NSW.

Six infestations are linked to contaminated organic whole grain chicken feed and mash and one is linked to contaminated conventional chicken feed.

The contaminated feed infestations were traced to Queensland manufacturers who have worked with NSW DPI to eliminate parthenium seed from feed products.
Parthenium can cause respiratory problems and severe dermatitis in humans.

Livestock do not usually eat parthenium weed but if no other feed is available, they may eat large amounts. This can cause kidney damage in ruminants (cattle, sheep and goats). Young cattle are most susceptible to dying from parthenium poisoning.

If livestock (especially sheep) eat parthenium weed within one month of slaughter it can taint the flavour of meat. It can also taint milk.

Obviously this is a serious problem as the State’s Department of Primary Industry web site on this plant says: Please do not attempt to treat or dispose of this weed yourself. Report this plant if you see it anywhere in NSW by calling the helpline listed at the top of this page immediately.
NSW DPI will lead an initial response for the treatment and disposal of the plant to stop it from spreading.

COVID-19 / Australia / 12th, 15th & 17th February Updates

New South Wales has entered its 26th day without local virus transmissions.

In Victoria they now have a Melbourne quarantine hotel (Airport Holiday Inn) cluster with 13 cases.
A family of three who are believed to have contracted the virus overseas and, possibly due to the use of a “nebuliser” machine, the virus from their room was able to spread out into the hotel.
They had failed to notify authorities of this piece of medical equipment on arrival.
If they had they would have been moved to a medihotel.

The non declaration was denied by the person concerned on 13/1.

Two returned travellers tested positive after they left quarantine. They caught the disease in the hotel.
Four quarantine workers are infected including at least one authorised officer and one worker who delivered food to rooms.
Four household close contacts have been infected, two are close contacts of infected hotel quarantine staff. The other two’s connection is not yet known. All would have been in quarantine for at least part of their infectious period.
Unfortunately it is the UK variant of the virus that is involved.
Yet again the hotel quarantine situation is the source of an ‘escape’.
Victoria is now considering another lockdown.
Update: 1pm
Victoria will go into a five day lockdown today. 

One of the above cases spent more than eight hours at a busy airport cafe while infectious on Tuesday. The entire Terminal 4 is now considered a hotspot. Between 4000 and 5000 people are believed to have passed through the terminal during the exposure period. One flight was to a small coastal town a couple of hours to the south of us, another to a coastal city two hours to the north. All passengers have to self isolated for five days. Even people driving from Victoria into New South Wales face the same isolation period.

Update: 15th February 

One new locally acquired COVID-19 case was confirmed in Victoria on Monday, along with one new case among a returned traveller in hotel quarantine. This brings the total to 17 local transmissions since the recent outbreak. More are expected. The 5 day lockdown continues. They are now into day3.

No new local cases have been confirmed in New South Wales for the 29th day in a row and in Queensland for the 38th straight day.
Australia suspended its quarantine-free travel arrangement with New Zealand on Sunday following the detection of COVID-19 in a couple and their daughter in Auckland at the weekend.

Meanwhile the first shipment of vaccine, the Pfizer product, has arrived in Australia.

Update: 17th February

Victoria has registered zero local transmissions so it seems to Airport Holiday Inn outbreak has been contained.

The lockdown will end at midnight tonight.

Meanwhile the locally produced AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved for all age groups. The Therapeutic Goods Administration said the AstraZeneca vaccine is effective at preventing 82% of people contracting Covid-19 (but 100% effective at preventing seriousness illness and death).
I am in group 1B and should get my first shot early March. Whether it will be the Pfizer or AstraZeneca product have no idea but it really is not a concern.

The co-driver is in group 2A and will get her shot a little later.
Once most of the population has completed both shots (it’s not mandatory) we should all be breathing a little easier.
Just 64% of Australians will “definitely” get a Covid-19 vaccine while more than one quarter (27%) are unsure, according to latest government research.
Some 9% of Australians aged over 16 said they will “definitely not” get the vaccine, according to a poll commissioned by the health department.

End October is the target date.

It will then be interesting to watch the government deal with opening our international border again, making sure virus ‘carriers’ arrivals are screened out.
In reality we don’t expect to be able to travel overseas until well into 2022.

COVID-19 / Australia / Update 29th & 31st January - 1st & 4th February

No locally acquired cases in any state.

State borders being opened.

Looks like the third wave has been avoided.

Vaccine program should be initiated by the end of February and expected to be concluded by October.

International border is remaining closed for the foreseeable future.

Update: 31st January

Victoria recorded no new cases today and reached 25 days without a case of local transmission.

NSW reported its 14th day without a local case. 

Queensland reported its 20th consecutive day of no local transmissions.

Update: 1st February
Perth and two West Australian regions will be placed in a five-day lockdown after a hotel quarantine worker tested positive to COVID-19, unfortunately the more virulent UK strain. 

The lockdown will affect about 80% of the state’s population.

Bad luck for that state as it has been cut off from the rest of the country by a closed border and been virus free for 10 months.

It seems virus ‘escapes’ from quarantine hotels are a real problem.

Update: 4th February 

The Australian Open Tennis is the first of the Grand Slams of the year and is held in Melbourne.

Because of Covid there were doubts that it would take place.

But the Victorian government decided that it could be run safely.

Hundreds of players and support staff were flown in by charter from Covid infected countries around the world and subjected to very strict quarantine. The measures were so strict that many of the top players were complaining bitterly about the conditions they were being subjected to. 

Maybe they should have read the small print in their contracts before coming.

There was considerable disquiet in the local community, who have been through substantial social and economic inconvenience over the last 10 months, about the AO going ahead and that things could go pear shaped.

And yesterday, their fears could have come to fruition.

A security worker in one of the ‘Tennis Hotels’ was diagnosed with the UK variant of Covid and has been out and about in Melbourne while infectious (see below).

He has had no direct contact with any of the hotel guests and the concern is it was transmitted by aerosols.

So once again, Victorian restrictions have been tightened.

We wait to see if this worker has ‘passed it on’. 

Thousands have lined up once more for testing.

How frustrating this must be for Victorians after 4 weeks of no local transmissions!