Week 7 - Wednesday 04 May 2022 - Reasonably Covid Normal

Another week has flown by, I'm not sure how I worked full time and kept up with everything.

In the blog last week I was about to head out and get my 4th covid virus vaccination and my flu shot.  Both jabbed successfully, one in each arm with no pain, no fainting and no significant side effects.  The left arm where I had the covid vaccination was a little tender around the site of the injection for a couple of days but that was it.

I have signed up with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) to work on the forthcoming Federal election.  I was offered two positions, the first being the Officer in Charge (OIC) of a polling place which although I wasn't keen on it I accepted.  After accepting the OIC role I was also offered a Temporary Assistant Level 1 (TA1) role at an Out Post Centre (OPC).  The TA1 role was more like what I am looking for so I have withdrawn my acceptance of the OIC role and accepted the TA1 role.

Anybody else get the idea that the AEC is fond of TLA's (Three Letter Acronyms).

As I am now a sworn officer of the AEC I must remain politically neutral and not demonstrate any bias publicly towards any politician or political party.  Given we have just had a Federal and a State budget imposed on us and some political parties making the most outrageous statements and promising the impossible, my political neutrality will be difficult but necessary.  Given my privileged position as an influencer, in many fields, I know that many of my readers are waiting on my considered and worthy opinion on to how to vote in the forthcoming Federal election but alas I am forbidden from doing so.

Now, here is a funny story.  Last Saturday morning I was sitting in a local cafe reading the paper and eating my scrambled eggs and I happened to look up and there was a little girl standing there looking at me.  She was probably 4 or 5 and was standing with her father waiting for takeaway coffee.  Anyway the little girl continued to look at me so I winked at her (not sure if you are allowed to do that anymore, but anyway I did).  After winking at her with the right eye I winked again with the left and did this routine a couple of times.  The funny bit is that she tried to copy me but she couldn't wink and no matter how hard she tried she could only close and open both eyes at the same time but that didn't stop her trying.

After going through this routine a couple of times she left with her father and I got back to my newspaper and scrambled eggs.

And so onto some covid virus numbers, Victoria is still recording around 10,000 new covid cases a day and NSW are declining slightly to between 10,000 to 12,000 new cases per day.  Interestingly some of the other states are now recording significant numbers of new cases as can be seen below;

Daily New Covid Infections by State for 04 May 2022

NSW        11,939

Vic           10,779

Qld            7,668

WA            9,782

Tas            1,078

ACT          1,080

All up Australia wide nearly 43,000 new cases of covid were reported in the last 24 hours.  I reckon that this is probably a gross underreporting of actual cases.  How many cases are testing positive to RATs done at home that are not being reported?  I know of at least four, and yes you know who I am talking about.

Vaccination rates are not moving much, the following figures are Australia wide with last week's figures in brackets: 1st dose - 97.1% (97.0%); 2nd dose - 95.5% (95.4%) 3rd dose - 65.2% (64.7%).

Victoria currently has 473 (456) patients in hospital with covid with 25 (32) in ICU and 6 (8) on ventilators, last week's figures in brackets. So Victorian hospital numbers are up but ICU and ventilator numbers are down.

In the last 24 hours 44 covid related deaths were reported Australia wide and 11 were reported in Victoria in the same period.  These figures seem to be pretty much average with no significant movement either up or down.

What is interesting is a few months ago when Victoria's hospital numbers hit 300 that was the trigger for the unfortunately named Code Brown to be enacted.  We now have 473 covid patients in hospital in this state and not a whisper of a Code Brown being called, what a difference an election in a few months makes!

Now I am off to do some of my online AEC training, might have to read my code of ethics again.

    Corona Virus Weekly Stats – From 22 March 2022 – Week 7 Reasonably Covid Normal

D	Aus Infected	Aus Increase Daily	Aus 1st Dose Vacc	Vic Infected	Vic Increase Daily	NSW Increase Daily	*Aus Active Infection	NSW Active Infection	Vic Active Infection	Aus 2nd Dose Vacc
22/03	3,975,559	32,379	96.7%	1,195,239	9,594	9,594	387,622	211,527	52,983	94.9%
30/03	4,436,572	50,082	96.8%	1,271,494	11,749	25,235	479,116	258,112	58,488	95.1%
04/04	4,715,763	35,015	96.8%	1,320,678	10,011	15,572	500,914	266,110	63,545	95.2%
13/04	5,207,650	54,185	96.9%	1,410,828	10,907	18,265	443,901	234,081	60,756	95.3%
20/04	5,494,804	36,856	97.0%	1,471,567	10,628	15,414	311,570	188,676	53,518	95.4%
27/04	5,780,569	24,135	97.0%	1,532,685	10,734	12,188	340,481	157,589	51,835	95.4%
04/05	6,072394	42,725	97.1%	10,779	10,779	11,939	317,353	139,572	57,154	95.5%
11/05

Corona Virus Daily Stats Hospitalisation Etc – From 22 March 2022 – Week 7 Reasonably Covid Normal
Date	Aus New Infection Daily	Aus Hospital	Aus ICU	Aus Ventilate	Vic New Infection Daily	Vic Hospital	Vic ICU	Vic Ventilate	AUS Daily Deaths	Vic Daily Deaths
22/03	32,379	2,090	93	21	9,594	256	24	5	26	7
30/03	50,082	2,446	100	21	11,749	280	18	5	28	7
04/04	35,015	2,645	108	21	10,011	305	17	3	7	1
13/04	54,185	3,147	126	29	10,907	391	19	2	39	14
20/04	36,856	3,325	155	39	10,628	437	34	12	35	14
27/04	24,135	3,385	144	N/A	10,734	456	32	8	33	13
04/05	42,725	3,111	148	N/A	10,779	473	25	6	44	11
11/05