Commenting on the story: SA records 18 cases as Norwood outbreak grows

We are so tired of being told that we must open up and that we need to learn how to live with Covid.

A sensible approach would have been to allow interstate travel from all sectors, with monitored two week home quarantine from states with community transmission. Borders could be open to all international travellers, with a mandatory two week state supervised quarantine from high risk countries and monitored quarantine from low risk countries.

These strategies would at least keep a lid on an exponential blowout in the state. Surely the medical cost of so many South Australians contracting Covid outweighs the renumeration received from the tourist dollar gained by opening up, not to mention the unnecessary deaths, sickness, and possible long Covid effects even amongst us fully vaccinated members of the community.

A little common sense is needed by our leaders rather than a fait accompli, i.e.”We are all going to get it.” – Mike Williams

I am sure I can’t be the only one who is dreading what is going to happen to people in care now that the SA government has decided we have to live with COVID.

Already today my mother’s Aged Care residence requires admin to work from home and volunteers are no longer allowed to enter. How long will it be before visitors cannot enter either and our vulnerable loved ones are in isolation?

And will it be for years, given that the expectation is that COVID is here for good. If this is the reaction of Aged Care when we are at the very beginning of what is only going to get worse and is now going to be permanent, the outcomes for my mother and for many others in the State are going to be horrific.

I’d like to know what Steve Marshall’s government is going to do about this. Are my mother and many thousands like her just collateral damage? Keeping her physically alive is not enough. It may not be the job of Aged Care to do any more than that, but don’t stop family and friends from carrying out this basic human obligation of providing quality of life to these vulnerable people. – Cathy Chua

Commenting on the opinion piece: SA’s rapid antigen test ban needs a rapid rethink

Yes, quick Covid tests should be available over the counter, at least in pharmacies in South Australia.

This screening test is likely to give false positive results, but if a highly sensitive quick test is used, true positives are unlikely to be missed. A positive test would have to be followed up by a PCR test: it would be worth waiting in a queue for hours on a hot day to get this done, after a positive quick test.

Coercion by government (to give access to just the PCR test) is a main factor that breeds resistance to sensible public health  measures. – Tim Durbridge

Commenting on the story: Court hits SA Health’s ‘Kafkaesque’ treatment of injured nurse

Well done, Wendy. Too many nurses work incredibly hard, their lives and families compromised by inflexible shifts 24 hours/7 days a week, for relatively poor financial remuneration and subjected to hierarchies, top down bullying and sometimes horizontal violence.

It’s good to see a dedicated health professional fighting back and being acknowledged and hopefully compensated. – Marilyn Kingston

Commenting on the story: Theatre for Change helps to heal trauma

Fantastic article here, it clearly describes the benefits of programs such as Theatre for Change.

Having worked with two of the participants here with Trauma informed art therapy at MESHA, it is heartening to know that folks can access  such creative ways to understand and express their unique trauma story. Well done. – Karin Foxwell