Epidemiologists are concerned that a number of infected people have been walking around with symptoms on for at least a week. In total, affected people visited at least eighty different sites. An injured person visited a crowded stadium.
‘Highly contagious type’
There are also concerns that it is related to the Indian type of virus. “Today we saw more evidence that we are dealing with a highly contagious type of virus,” Victoria Prime Minister James Merlino said. “The alternative to be concerned about is running faster than we have ever recorded.”
Authorities have already identified more than 10,000 people who may have been in contact with an infected person. The fear is that the number of infected people could increase exponentially.
Insufficient test capacity
“There is no herd immunity in Australia,” virologist Jane Halton explains to Australian 9News. “In addition, there is not enough testing capacity.” Wait time increased to several hours at various test sites in Melbourne:
It remains unclear how the virus got into the community. To prevent the spread of the disease, residents are not permitted to travel more than three miles from the home.
Mouth masks are mandatory everywhere, indoors and out. Groceries are only allowed once a day by one member of the family and all non-essential stores are closed.
Winter is on the doorstep
The travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand was already paused earlier this week when it emerged that some new infections had been detected in Victoria. The virus has been eliminated in both countries, but now that vaccination is not nearing and winter is approaching, the chances of another outbreak of the disease are high.
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