Blog Day 649 - Tuesday 18 January 2022 - Day 80 of Covid Nearly Normal

 The big news just breaking is that the hospital system will be moving to "Code Brown" whatever that is.  Apparently it will apply to all the major Melbourne metropolitan hospitals and six major regional hospitals.  Further information will be provided as it comes to hand.

I'm thinking Code Brown has unfortunate connotations, as in when Admiral Nelson spies the French fleet through his telescope and tells one of his officers to bring him his brown corduroy trousers.  Was this also a Code Brown moment?

The following has been extracted from the Herald Sun and appears to me to be the key requirements of a hospital operating under Code Brown.  

• Health services under the code have the ability to postpone or defer care that is not urgent, and will also be able to discuss cancelling planned leave with their staff.

• Elective surgery and IVF treatments will remain at current levels, while more hospital at home services will also be used.

• Staff working on outpatient services will prioritised to make sure intensive care and other key sectors are not overwhelmed.

• Another major change is that ambulance patients will be able to be “rapidly offloaded” at emergency departments, rather than paramedics sitting with them until they are admitted.  This rule change will free ambulance services across the community.

I maybe missing something here but don't these rules sound a bit like common sense and one would think already being applied by a health system under pressure.  

Meanwhile more importantly it would appear that the Djoke is on Djokovic.  He departed our fair shores on Sunday night after his visa was cancelled and his appeal to the Federal Court failed.  Apparently he has arrived to a hero's welcome in his home city of Belgrade in Serbia.

For the first time since.........well, probably for the first time the French are showing a bit of backbone and have announced that there will be no exceptions or exemptions for competitors in this year's French Open to be fully vaccinated.   So, it is likely that Djokovic will be unable to compete in the French Open also.

Talking about lack of backbone, the Australians thumped the English in the 5th Ashes test in Hobart.  The Poms had to make 270 or so runs in their 2nd innings and had nearly three days to do it in.  At no wickets for 68 runs they looked like they had a good chance of making the necessary runs.  

And then what happened you ask?  Well, the poms collapsed losing 10 wickets for 56 runs and being all out for 124 runs and Australia win by 146 runs within three days of a five day test.

The Aussies with the series by a convincing four test to zero and but for one wicket in Sydney it could have been a five zero whitewash, but not a bad result all the same.

As you would predict the Fleet Street press have given the English team a right old bollocking, including the usual cohort of ex pommy cricketers.

Meanwhile back at the ranch the covid testing and jabbing program rolls on.  Nationally the double vaccinated percentage of the population continues to increase, albeit slowly.  Let's name and shame the miscreant states, Qld, SA, NT and WA are still struggling to reach 90% of their eligible population 12+ being double vaccinated.

Vaccinations

Doses by Age Band First / Second

STATE	0+	0+	12+	12+
NSW	81.7%	79.1%	95.9%	92.9%
Victoria	81.3%	78.7%	95.2%	92.2%
Queensland	77.9%	73.9%	92.0%	87.3%
SA	80.5%	76.3%	93.6%	88.6%
ACT	87.7%	84.0%	>99%	>99%
Tasmania	86.1%	81.1%	>99%	94.0%
NT	75.3%	70.3%	91.0%	84.9%
WA	79.2%	72.5%	93.9%	85.9%
Australia	81.5%	77.9%	95.8%	91.6%

It is also noted that 25% of eligible Victorians have also had their 3rd (booster) shot.

Meanwhile the number of new daily infections in Victoria continue to decline with 20,000 recorded in the last 24 hours.  Some epidemiologists and all state government politicians are predicting that we have reached he peak of the omicron wave and we are surfing down the other side, I am not convinced that this is the case but happy to be proved otherwise.

Of course the big issue (no, not the magazine) is the number of patients in hospital due to the virus and it is now predicted that this could peak at 2,500 within the next two weeks.  Currently there are 1,152 patients in Victorian hospitals due to the virus with 127 in ICU and 43 on ventilators.  At least 80% of the folk in ICU and on ventilators are unvaccinated, I am not sure if it the same percentage for the general covid affected hospital admissions.

The health system is struggling with 1,150 covid patients how will it go with the predicted 2,500, even with Code Brown in place?

In the last 24 hours there were 58 covid related deaths Australia wide with 22 in Victoria and 36 in NSW.

    Corona Virus Daily Stats – 18 January 2021 – Day 80 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					35,843	20,293
11/01	1,115,610	65,243	93.9%	443,787	37,994	25,870	613,502	315,785	171,369	91.0%
12/01					40,127	34,759
13/01					37,169	92,264
14/01	1,524,727	122,685	94.7%	561,872	34,836	63,018	754,967	336,765	239,396	91.3%
15/01					26,817	48,768
16/01	1,726,116	85,824	95.6%	618,965	28,128	34,660	832,708	342,838	237,559	91.5%
17/01					22,429	29,504
18/01	1,853,775	51,320	95.8%	664,238	20,180	29,830	695,725	326,356	235,035	91.6%
19/01

Corona Virus Daily Stats Hospitalisation Etc – 18 January 2022 – Day 80 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									22	2
11/01	65,243	3,721	334	86	37,994	861	117	27	24	13
12/01
13/01
14/01	122,685	4,396	367	114	34,836	976	112	30	50	18
15/01									55	24
16/01	85,824	4,753	392	120	28,128	1,114	122	35	40	8
17/01									31	6
18/01	51,320	5,048	416	128	20,180	1,152	127	43	58	22
19/01