A series of blunders in Melbourne‘s Covid-19 contact tracing system have been exposed despite the state premier claiming it was one of the best in the country.
At least three flaws have been identified as authorities try to contain the latest outbreak at Melbourne Airport’s Holiday Inn, which has grown to 14 cases.
They include a patient in intensive care receiving a delayed phone call from contact tracers, the wrong passengers at Melbourne Airport being told to isolate, and close contacts failing to receive isolation clearance because contact tracers had incorrect contact details, Sun Herald reported.
This comes despite Daniel Andrews declaring on Tuesday there are ‘higher standards’ with safety procedures at Victoria’s quarantine hotels when compared with neighbouring states.
At least three flaws have been identified as authorities try to contain the latest outbreak at Melbourne Airport’s Holiday Inn (pictured), which has grown to 14 cases
This comes despite Daniel Andrews declaring on Tuesday there are ‘higher standards’ with safety procedures at Victoria’s quarantine hotels when compared with neighbouring states
One person claims they had been playing a game of phone tag with contact tracers who repeatedly contacted one of her relatives because they had the wrong phone number.
The woman, who is a relative of a hotel quarantine worker, says she was warned by authorities she could be a secondary contact of a person potentially infected with Covid-19.
She isolated for 48 hours while waiting for the test result of a Covid-19 test.
When it came back negative she stopped isolating and went shopping and visited a kindergarten.
The woman had no idea authorities were trying to get in contact with her and that authorities had mistakenly called her relative because of an incorrect phone number.
The woman tried to contact authorities, before they responded by once again calling her relative.
When she received her isolation clearance, it was under her relative’s address.
‘I honestly lost all faith of getting out of this (lockdown) situation in Victoria,’ she said.
‘We are reaching out and trying to do the right thing and you are telling us your system is gold class or whatever you said, but quite clearly it isn’t.’
A number of passengers at Melbourne Airport have also claimed they were told to isolate even though they were nowhere near a Covid-19 exposure site
One person claims they had been playing a game of phone tag with contact tracers who repeatedly contacted one of her relatives because they had the wrong phone number (pictured, cleaners at the Holiday Inn Hotel at Melbourne Airport)
A 38-year-old father also claims authorities were slow to contact him and only reached out nine days after he had been placed into intensive care for Covid-19.
He said he received an email with a misspelt name and a delayed phone call notifying him he had Covid-19. He also says the person on the other end of the line had no idea he had already done contact tracing as well.
‘I said to the guy I am aware I have Covid-19 I’m the guy who’s been in ICU,’ he said.
‘They were asking me about my close contacts, and I said the only people I’ve been around are nurses and doctors who are in full PPE.’
The man was placed into intensive care after staying at the Holiday Inn at Melbourne Airport.
He had been partly blamed for sparking the outbreak after the state government said his nebuliser device could have helped to spread the virus.
A text message was sent to passengers throughout Melbourne Airport telling them to isolate for 14 days
Victoria has been placed into a five-day lockdown as the state attempts to curb the spread of a Covid-19 outbreak in hotel quarantine
A nebuliser is a drug delivery device that turns medication into a mist and sprays it it in aerosol form, which is inhaled into the lungs.
The man says he was given permission by health authorities to use the medical device.
A number of passengers at Melbourne Airport have also claimed they were told to isolate even though they were nowhere near a Covid-19 exposure site.
The Brunetti Cafe at Terminal 4 was blacklisted after a Covid-19 positive person visited the site on February 9.
Melbourne residents take a walk as the city enters its second day of a five-day long lockdown
A text message was sent to passengers throughout Melbourne Airport telling them to isolate for 14 days.
One passenger said they were at Terminal 1, and had tried to call authorities using the number provided in the message.
Though they say they were unable to reach anyone and it wasn’t until the following day they received another message to retract the first one.
Daily Mail Australia contacted the Department of Human Health and Services for comment.
Source link