Most vulnerable

NOW Queensland has its version of Newmarch House.

Unfortunately the person worked 12 days before anyone recognised COVID-19, compared to eight shifts at Newmarch House.

Some have talked of blame. Much more important is what next.

Obviously contact tracing failed after the person picked up COVID-19 in Brisbane. With more than 100 contact tracing people for every new COV-19 case where did the system fail? What needs to change to do better?

Much of South Korea’s success in containment was from quarantining all contacts for 14 days and till proven by testing to be non-infectious.

Can we learn from NSW? There they tested all Newmarch House residents and started testing everyone coming in to the facility every day.

A United States friend told me of another incident with COVID-19 making entry to yet another aged-care facility. These folk are the most in need of physical assistance and so the most vulnerable people.

Some jobs have higher potential to spread COVID-19. We need to regularly test these. That includes especially those who are in physical contact roles, from aged care to police and medical personnel (does that also mean schools and child care?).

Those of us doing the “right thing” at home want to believe those responsible for organising the containment can prevent the incidents arising from the pathologist visiting Cairns and the nurse in Rockhampton. DOUGAL JOHNSTON, Hampton