New virus variants worry for us and Aussies

Suspicious similarities between new coronavirus cases in Australia and New Zealand are unwelcome news as we wait for vaccines. In New South Wales, a returned traveller tested positive for Covid-19 two days after leaving quarantine, following two previous negative tests.

In Victoria, a woman tested positive two days after completing her 14-day quarantine and with previous negative results. The state has had five cases linked to hotel quarantine in the past week, workers and guests.

That appears to mirror what has happened here and comes as reports suggest the main vaccines aren’t as effective against the South African variant in particular as they are against the original virus.

Here, we have had four cases of returnees who tested positive after leaving the Pullman Hotel MIQ (managed isolation and quarantine) facility.

Victorian health experts want a day 16 testing regime, so far introduced on a voluntary basis in NSW, to go Australia-wide.

NSW Health said in a statement: “Day 16 testing was introduced following the identification of people who had developed Covid-19 infection after leaving quarantine in other jurisdictions. Such testing may pick up infection that has developed from exposure during the quarantine period or in those rare instances where cases have long incubation periods”.

In the words of Victorian Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville: “What we’ve seen . . . is that this virus is more contagious, it’s moving differently, it’s lasting longer.”

Neville, who oversees the hotel quarantine system, spoke about a case in January where the virus is thought to have spread between guests as they opened the doors to their rooms to receive deliveries.

“They opened their doors at the same time, for seconds. What it’s indicative of is that the strains that are coming from the UK and South Africa are different, and are responding differently.”

Victoria is looking again at issues such as air conditioning and protective equipment. Hotel quarantine changes have been brought in. From this week, all quarantine workers in the state will be tested on days off as well as work days.

Quarantine meal deliveries are occurring at different times. All workers are wearing face shields and masks.

In Western Australia, quarantine workers are banned from having second jobs. South Australia has begun daily testing of quarantine workers.

On Monday South Africa suspended its planned use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca shot. A small study in South Africa found that the vaccine will not protect people against mild to moderate cases caused by the mutation.

However, the vaccines have been shown to offer protection against severe symptoms, hospitalisation and death from Covid-19 and work better

What we’ve seen . . . is that this virus is more contagious, it’s moving differently, it’s lasting longer.

Lisa Neville

Victorian Emergency Services Minister

against the British variant. All the vaccine developers are already working on booster shots for the mutations.

Shabir Madhi, the lead investigator on the South African trial, said the AstraZeneca vaccine would likely protect against severe Covid-19, since it is similar to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which does so.

Still, “longer incubation periods” and “lasting longer” are not encouraging considering it will take time for countries to vaccinate their populations as it is.

It feels as if that new computer appears to need a software security patch already.