The frank admissions begin.
Victorian coronavirus outbreak ‘very likely’ (paywalled)
A coronavirus pandemic is very likely, if not inevitable, according to Victoria’s chief medical officer.
Dr Brett Sutton said his team was hoping for the best but planning for the worst.
“It’s clear that with local transmission in several countries that a pandemic is very likely, if not inevitable,” Dr Sutton said.
“We are working rapidly on planning and surge with our health sector.”
The chief doctor confirmed Australian authorities were working on containing anyone with symptoms or who test positive in a bid to contain the outbreak.
He said the chief health officers from around the country were in contact every day.
“This is critical — pandemics challenge all sectors with effects on supply, workforce and business continuity,” Dr Sutton wrote on Twitter.
“I’m confident we’re well placed to meet the challenges ahead, whatever they might be. Hoping for the best, and planning for the worst.”
The doctor confirmed around 1300 Victorians had so far been screened for the virus.
Dr Sutton warned healthy adults had died from the virus.
“The elderly and those with existing medical conditions are definitely more at risk,” he wrote.
“But some healthy adults have also become severely unwell or died.
“For children under 10, the news seems good — mild illness and no deaths I’m aware of.”
The chief doctor advised Victorians to stay on top of the current health advice, which he said would change as the situation develops.
“We’ll go into a phase when it’s time to focus on hand hygiene, coughing into elbows etc,” he wrote.
“Isolation if unwell and quarantine if you’re a close contact of confirmed case.”
Coughing into elbows was a technique advised for use by the general public during the SARS outbreak.
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Just as long as there's no stigmatisation, eh doc?
Good luck finding P2 or better masks.
www.businessinsider.com.au
www.abc.net.au
