1/ Victorian lockdowns continue largely because #covid19aus transmission persists in health/aged care.
Excluding these, our 14 day avg daily cases = 2.9
If only we knew these settings were drivers of transmission, we'd have upgraded infection control.
Oh wait. We knew in April.

2/ We arrogantly refused to learn from SARS-ready-nations, instead experts mused "but where are the randomised control trials showing masks will help in these settings?"

We downgraded #PPE guidelines to make up for shortages, simultaneously refusing to consider reusables.

3/ Newmarch/Dorothy Henderson outbreaks in NSW were not enough for the Gov to plan effectively for future outbreaks.

Barely a third of all aged staff had done the #covid19aus infection control training, which is delivered through an internet based quiz.

4/ Masks weren't required in Vic nursing homes until WEEKS after lockdowns began.

This alone tells you everything you need to know. I could stop this thread right here.

5/ Another illustration of denial and delays:

Experts at the highest level in this country, against the wisdom of research, argued that N95/P2 masks shouldn't be used for routine care of #covid19aus patients in hospital wards.

6/ Why? Because they don't work? No, because 'they are hard to wear and don't fit well'. That's a quote.

They also didn't think fit testing would be useful, which is contradictory.

And then the ultimate gaslighting:

7/ Our national experts only considered the revolutionary concept of N95 mask on #covid19aus wards when ONE outbreak happened in Melbourne. International research wasn't enough, but an anecdote was. (At 25:21 http://www.facebook.com/4a215abc-4344-4eb2-a6d0-a6806cbd5b29 )

8/ This is not how experts should make decisions.
This is parochialism.
This is, as @youarelobbylud would call it, 'anglophone hubris'.
This is the paradigm of evidence based medicine turned on it's head.

9/ We have just BEGUN to institute the measures that SARS ready nations have practiced for months:
Top-notch PPE, supervision/auditing of infection control, , ventilation etc... We've only just begun.

10/ Victoria's 2nd wave began with a few transmissions out of the hotels, and turned into a wave due to inadequate testing and tracing. It's been crushed back down, but...

11/ The fact that most new cases are due to health/aged care setting transmissions is a gigantic red flag. It shows the flaws in infection control persist.

12/ This is why, even if cases fall to 0, the work ain't over till infection control in health/aged care is revamped.
Cases are plummeting due to lockdowns.

18/ Once lifted, even a few cases of #covid19aus could transmit into these settings, and grow into a substantial a reservoir here, cause more deaths and then transmit back to the community.

19/ So even if cases fall to zero, and lockdowns end, healthcare workers won't stop making noise and raising the alarm on infection control in healthcare/aged care, as we have been since the first week of MARCH. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-05/coronavirus-covid-19-gps-cant-get-face-masks/12023752

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