Blog Day 640 - Sunday 09 January 2022 - Day 71 of Covid Nearly Normal

 Another airport run this morning.  I seem to have spent half my life driving back and forth to the airport over the last few weeks.  This morning's run was fairly early so it wasn't to bad as there wasn't any traffic around and absolutely no problem finding a parking spot at the airport.

The fifth day of the 4th cricket test at the SCG today.  Hopefully the weather will be kind enough to let us get result, and of course that Australia wins.  

Whilst I am talking sport (who would have thought it) the Djokovic saga rolls along with all parties crying foul.  Despite all the evidence to the contrary Tennis Australia (TA) is denying any responsibility for this shambles although it would appear that they sent incorrect vaccination exemption information to the players.

This matter is back in court tomorrow with Djokovic trying to get his expulsion orders reversed.

Due to changes in the covid testing regime there has been a run on the RAT (Rapid Antigen Test) kits.  I was in the Bentleigh shopping centre yesterday and there was a queue half a block long outside the Chemist Warehouse of people waiting to buy some RAT kits.

The other pharmacies have signs on their windows saying that they don't have any kits and that they don't know when they are going to get them.

Various levels of government are assuring us the supplies of the RAT kits are on their way and as Corporal Jones used to say in Dad's Army - "don't panic, don't panic".

Some supermarkets are reporting some empty shelves due to supply issues.  Given the large numbers of people isolating due to the virus the distribution centres and transport companies are short staffed and experiencing difficulty meeting demand.  We are being assured that there is no shortage of products only a difficulty with supply and once again we echo Cpl Jones and we are not to panic.

Maybe we should be taking notice of Private Frazer also of Dad's Army whose catch phrase was "We are doomed! Doomed"!, then again maybe that isn't such a good idea.

I was talking to a friend of mine this morning who made the observation that for the first two years of the pandemic we didn't know anybody who was infected with the covid virus.  In this current wave of the virus we all know people who have had it, still have it and most likely people who are about to get it.

Daily vaccination figures are in the table below;

Doses by Age Band First / Second

STATE	0+	0+	12+	12+
NSW	80.3%	79.1%	94.3%	92.8%
Victoria	79.9%	78.6%	93.6%	92.1%
Queensland	76.1%	73.1%	89.9%	86.3%
SA	79.0%	75.6%	91.9%	87.9%
ACT	85.1%	83.9%	>99%	>99%
Tasmania	83.8%	80.2%	97.2%	93.0%
NT	73.5%	69.6%	88.8%	84.1%
WA	77.2%	71.1%	91.5%	84.2%
Australia	79.9%	77.4%	93.9%	91.0%

To date Australia wide 3,565,888 booster injections have been administered with 141,208 injected in the last 24 hours.  I don't have figures for individual states as yet or percentages of population that have received the third needle.

Interesting figures in Victoria over the last couple of days with 44,155 new infections being reported in the last 24 hours and 51,000 the day before.  These figures although scary are not as catastrophic as they first look.  As at 8/1 the daily figures include the reported results of the RAT testing as well as the usual PCR tests.  The RAT test results have not previously been included in the daily numbers.

Still, nearly 100,000 new infections in the state is not to be sneezed at.  

Victoria reported the results of 84,000 virus tests in the last 24 hours.  This figure is for PCR tests only and does not include self reporting of positive RATs.  If past history is anything to go by I think that we can say goodbye to any meaningful new infection numbers in Victoria until the recording, reporting and collation of the various figures is sorted out.  Good luck with that!

Whereas the daily infection numbers are increasing dramatically on a daily basis the hospitalisation numbers are also increasing but nowhere near proportional to the increase in infections.

In the last 48 hours the number of patients in Victorian hospitals has increased from 644 to 752, ICU numbers have declined slightly from 106 to 104 and ventilator numbers from 24 to 23.

Likewise for the death numbers, the daily death numbers are either remaining static or increasing only slightly and not reflecting the increase in daily infection numbers.

    Corona Virus Daily Stats – 09 January 2021 – Day 71 of Covid Nearly Normal

Date	Aus Infected	Aus Increase	Aus 1st Dose Vacc	Vic Infected	Vic Increase	NSW Increase	*Aus Active Infection	NSW Active Infection	Vic Active Infection	Aus 2nd Dose Vacc
01/01					7,442		158,782		24,161
02/01	460,657	29,947	93.5%	191,148	7,172	18,278	187,258	124,624	31,461	90.4%
03/01					8,577	20,794
04/01					14,020	23,131
05/01	601,169	53,557	93.6%	231,126	17,636	35,054	283,792	184,413	51,317	90.5%
06/01					21,743	34,960
07/01	762,458	78,160	93.8%	274,390	21,728	38,625	392,109	234,066	69,680	90.8%
08/01					51,356	45,098
09/01	972,455	94,662	93.9%	369,362	44,155	30,062	560,023	292,237	146,863	91.0%
10/01

Corona Virus Daily Stats Hospitalisation Etc – 09 January 2022 – Day 71 of Covid Nearly Normal
Date	Aus New Infection	Aus Hospital	Aus ICU	Aus Ventilate	Vic New Infection	Vic Hospital	Vic ICU	Vic Ventilate	AUS Daily Deaths	Vic Daily Deaths
01/01									14	9
02/01	29,947	1,950	145	48	7,172	472	52	22	4	3
03/01									7	3
04/01									5	2
05/01	53,557	2,904	196	56	17,636	591	53	20	19	11
06/01									12	6
07/01	78,160	2,900	274	65	21,728	644	106	24	20	6
08/01									26	9
09/01	94,662	3,304	298	73	44,155	752	104	23	21	4
10/01