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On Wednesday, Australian health officials said only four cases of SARS-CoV-24 coronavirus infection were diagnosed in 21 hours (April 22-2), despite the fact that more than 12 cases are carried out daily across the country. tests. So Australia seems to be at the end of the epidemic. Officials confirmed that they will lift restrictions within three weeks. What did the Australians do?
The first case of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection was reported in Australia on January 25. A few days earlier (January 19), an infected man flew to Melbourne from China. By the end of April, it seems that the epidemic in Australia has been brought under control and the rulers are considering easing the restrictions and slowly returning to the new reality.
How did Australia manage the epidemic? Health experts there say that The infection rate has been kept constant thanks to extensive testing, detection and isolation of carriers, self-isolation of vulnerable people and strict adherence to the principles of social distancing. The quick decision to significantly reduce travel was also important.
Let’s follow the steps taken by the Australian government.
Six days after the first SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus case was diagnosed in Australia, the government banned foreigners who traveled from China from entering the country. All citizens returning from this country have been ordered to quarantine for 14 days. After March 15, this rule was extended to every citizen entering the country.
On March 20, Prime Minister Scott Morrison decided to close the borders of Australia. This was dictated by the fact that 80 percent. out of 636 infections detected at that time were confirmed in people returning to the country. The Prime Minister believes that the restrictions probably prevented tens of thousands of new infections.
Further restrictions related to social distance. On March 13, the government banned gatherings of more than 500 people. On March 23, pubs, clubs, restaurants, cafes and places of worship were closed. Just a week later, the government introduced another tightening on gatherings – in the public space it was limited to two people.
Australians were allowed to leave home only in certain situations: travel to and from work, education, essential shopping, exercise and medical needs. Breaking the rules was severely punished.
The next step was extensive testing of the public for the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
Australia is conducting extensive COVID-19 testing
Testing the society made it possible to isolate, inter alia, people who could have had the infection asymptomatically, without even knowing it. Thousands of inhabitants are tested in Australia every day. According to the data published by the Australian Ministry of Health, 466 tests (659 tests per million inhabitants) have been performed so far, of which 18 percent. tested positive. The total number of SARS-CoV-300 infections is 1,4 cases, 2 patients died and 6661 were healed.
See also: Relaxing the limitations only makes sense if we do more tests. Harvard Analyzes
Australia has good geographic conditions to contain the COVID-19 epidemic
Australia’s location is also helping to contain the coronavirus epidemic. It is an island country that can be reached by sea or air. Professor Tom Blakely, an epidemiologist and public health specialist at the University of Melbourne, said Australia’s lower infection rates compared to the UK or the US, for example, may be due in part to the country’s geographical isolation.
The fact that a large proportion of Australians live in single-family homes, not in apartment blocks, may also have contributed to reducing the spread of the coronavirus.
But experts warn the public not to compliment the pandemic under control. As Professor Paul Kelly, the country’s deputy medical director, said, “you don’t suddenly fold your parachute as you approach the ground.” The government is considering easing the restrictions in about three weeks. Before that can happen, three criteria must be met.
First, it is important to constantly flatten the infection rate. Australia is well on its way to tackling this. Second, you need to implement a large-scale health monitoring application based on the application used in Singapore. The Australian government plans to run it in a few weeks.
The third criterion is to provide health care with the necessary tools to deal with an epidemic that may occur at any time, e.g. in a nursing home. Doctors must be prepared for sudden spikes in the disease as COVID-19 restrictions are somewhat loosened.
So far Australia is on track to return to normal.
Have a question about the coronavirus? Send them to the following address: [email protected]. You will find a daily updated list of answers HERE: Coronavirus – frequently asked questions and answers
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