NSW Covid Check-in and Tracing Failures

I hope he got tested immediately rather than wait for the overworked tracers to contact him. That is the responsibility we all have.

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Can you explain how NSW is more inept and continues to be so?

Every State Govt and also the Federal Govt have faced many challenges through Covid. Independent of whether at any time better or poor judgement can be commented on, isn’t there also a matter of good luck? Hindsight is a wonderful teacher. A good outcome from a risky decision is often paraded as wisdom by the successful. A poor outcome from the best possible decision is too easily criticised.

That Covid-19 creates new variants adds to the challenge. There are those nations now with much higher vaccination rates than Australia and still with high death rates due to Delta - mostly amongst the unvaccinated.

Australia has some way to go on getting vaccination to a high percentage of the population. On that count we are all equal. The longer that takes the whole of Australia, the greater the risk more can change and go wrong.

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IN the case of NSW, its a poor outcome from a risky decision. We all knew that Delta was much more contagious than even the Alpha strain, and yet the decision was to go easier than we did on the original Wuhan strain. Not just a risky decision, but a completely stupid one. One which has left the population of this country at risk because its not just NSW… its all states and now NZ affected by it.

Its good that vaccinations are ramping up, even my friend who was not going to have any vax at all has now decided to go for it after all and had her first AZ jab on Wednesday, but we can’t vaccinate our way out of this. Yes, its not as bad as some other countries, but we don’t have a population large enough to sustain thousands of infections daily… and as for contact tracing, NSW is well behind the 8Ball, @78Therese experience is becoming really common, I’ve been reading of many instances in other forums… one person posts about it and then many others are “me too”…

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NSW saw a problem and essentially denied it was as serious as it was, and preferenced ‘freedom and economics’ over taking firm and timely action, and to a point appeared to dismiss or at least diminish what other states had done that worked better.

Some may see that as good; I did and do not.

I also question the transparency (dodge?) of Dr Kerry Chant who seems to always fudge the question of whether NSW government has taken and implemented the health advice as given to them. I think she is acting much as the American Dr Deborah Birx trying to survive and do some good under Trump, but that is opinion not necessarily fact.

edit: somewhat more inclusive, pointed, and eloquent than I.

edit 2: I suggest the changes NSW announced today reflects they are at best behind the curve but are finally doing what they should have done weeks ago. Inept? I think so. Victoria has been here and has been better off for it, if health is the priority.

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It concerns me you are trying to politicise this matter. I would take the advice of Dr Kerry Chant and NSW Health any day of the week over an unqualified medical person in acting Minister Andrew Barr.
Why do you bring Donald Trump into this matter?
Why do you make the aspersions about Dr Kerry Chant which have no place on this forum?

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That is because you cannot meaningfully discuss public health without politics. We would have half the problems that we do with COVID if our leaders kept politics out of the matter and relied on the best medical advice at the time. But they did not and do not and continue to play politics - including attempting to mute experts who are called on to speak for the public benefit on topics within their expertise.

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Politicising? Or pointing out the differences in state responses in how they approached it and their successes or lack thereof.

As for Trump, I was hopefully and obviously comparing how I perceive Dr. Chant to be working in her role, similarly to how Dr. Birx was seen to try doing her own job, with possible similarities. Both are/were to be commended but in each case a question is whether anyone was listening. Today’s announcement for NSW suggests someone is, even if belatedly (as I see it).

Agreed any day and twice on Sunday, so to speak. Perhaps we were listening to different press conferences when the questions about her advice being taken were asked, and seemingly avoided?

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Thank you for clarifying this PhilT and I now understand where you are coming from.
I use the forums to look at product and services reviews and find the comments useful. Obviously some people expand the range of discussion which could be useful too.
I note you are a moderator. An off topic question is why some forum members describe themselves as BS Busters? Is that to intimidate other users or they feel it empowers what they say?

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‘BS Busters’ are a badge Choice grants to members who have been active in exposing consumer myths. The original idea was announced

Similarly some are topic ‘leaders’ such as ‘Food Champions’ and so on. I am not sure if there is an exhaustive index of all the badges and I believe you may the first to ask about them, so maybe Choice can list the lot of them for those interested? I’ll suggest it in Site Feedback.

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You should be able to see a full list of badges and their brief description by clicking on the three horizontal bars at the top right of the page, and then selecting badges or this link. A full list should appear along with badges a member as been awarded (these appear as a number).

When one receives a badge, it is then possible to change their 'standard label’s attached to their icon at their choosing.

Hope this helps.

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Living on the QLD / NSW border I notice when you scan a QR Code in NSW it gives you a web link and then to a webpage where you have to fill out a lot of details etc, in QLD it works differently.
Surely they can have 1 standardized system that works in different states.

Maybe a solution could be that each customer has there own Personal QR code (which contains all their relevant details) on their phone, or those who don;t have a smart phone could have their QR code printed on a Card which is then Scanned by the Business on entry and exit, and that would be a standardized system that would work anywhere in Australia and if a person who has covid visited a business they could just get a printout from that business of all QR codes that were there at the relevant time and their Govt computer system could send Text messages to all the QR codes that were there at the time, that would be a better standardized system which could be used Australia wide.

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There is talk about a Vaccination Passport nationally but so far no firm idea of how it will operate. There has been a little discussion on this site about the French eating passport, which is a personalised QR code for those issued one because of their vaccination status or previous infection and subsequent recovery from COVID.

Discussion starts at the following post

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I forget who posted it long ago, but the underlying problem with many of the irritants we face is that when each of 6 states and 2 territories already has it perfect, which is going to admit otherwise and change?

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Let us press the button on the wayback machine.
Back in 1985 the Australia Card was proposed. Every Australian, and visitors to the country, would have one.
It would be a unique identifier. Used for all sorts of purposes.
Never got up despite the Hawke Government even going to a double disolution election in 1987 to try and get it through.

Imagine how useful it would be now for check in and if needed contact tracing.

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I don’t know about others but I use that badge (there are plenty of others I could use) because it describes most of what I do. Note that these are awarded by the Powers That Be not created by the recipient.

I don’t feel the badge gives me any additional powers nor that I need them. I think my work ought to stand or fall on its content. If you have a problem with my content not living up to that by all means help me improve.

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I have no problems with your content. Also I would not be the person to help you improve which is not needed in any case! I thought the people using it, and it appears I was completely wrong, awarded it to themselves.
Thank you for further clarifying this.

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Now we have the Tax File Number in lieu.

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It’s a little bit of a drift off topic.
We’re most often asked for a copy of our drivers license as proof of ID.

Back to core topic!
The Qld QR code checkin uses the details one has previously registered in the App. It is one tap to open the App, a second to confirm the read of the business QR code and details, and a third to accept. I can add a family member’s details explicitly or one tap to include them if previously added.

Does the NSW App work any differently?

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Did you see interview with Stuart Robert MP
quite extraordinary all talk no answers about contact tracing in COVID Safe App

It is being used, but no evidence shared it is actually yield any results, while refusing to revisit the tracing technology; claiming Australia national interest to be independent of technology companies such as Google and Apple ,
Most bizarre banter i have ever heard.

Mr Roberts MP Covid Safe is a tool, it is used every day?
But is it successful? Is it used for the purpose it was made? Do other tools perform the task in a better more efficient way?

Analogy i need to bind two materials together.
My tool at home is a hammer, it can do everything, open cans, paperweight, crush garlic.
But it is made for nails, but this one is poorly built and hasn’t suited well to nails.
Mr Roberts is right I am using my tool (hammer) regularly but am i getting quality results??

I would certainly be looking at: An improved quality hammer, a screw driver, nail gun, drill driver, rapid glue methods. clamps, staplegun, even duct tape will be better at binding materials than that hammer. and i would seek real tools to open cans(can opener), paperweight, crush garlic (kitchen press or Knife)

https://ministers.dese.gov.au/robert/interview-abc-news-afternoon-briefing-patricia-karvelas

PATRICIA KARVELAS:
Sure, but if you look at the New South Wales situation, they just cannot possibly keep up, and our own
COVIDSafe app just hasn’t done the job. It just isn’t doing the job.

MINISTE ROBERT:
[Talks over] No, no, I reject that Patricia. The COVIDSafe app is there for Australians to use, and the data goes to states and territories. How they use it is up to them. It’s just one more tool in the [Indisinct].

PATRICIA KARVELAS:
[Talks over] Yeah, but they’re not using it to contact trace all those people, we know they’re not.

MINISTER ROBERT:
Yes they are, it is being used,

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